Glasgow’s largest mosque hires guards and launches 24/7 patrols
Mosques in Scotland have increased their security measures following a foiled terror plot and a series of other incidents across the country.
Some centres have hired guards to secure places of worship, including the largest mosque in Glasgow, which now has 24/7 patrols.
Omar Afzal from the Scottish Association of Mosques told LBC: "There’s a significant amount of fear and alarm within the community. It’s feeling very threatened and extremely vulnerable.
"Mosques across the country are thoroughly reviewing and enhancing their security measures.
"Some are considering bringing in security guards, and some have already done so. For example, the country’s largest, Glasgow Central Mosque, now has 24-hour security as a result of recent events over the past few months."
One incident involved a teenager throwing paint over a mosque in Aberdeen in March and smashing a window while people gathered inside.
Another mosque in Elgin was targeted in April when the building was vandalized for the third time, with several of its windows damaged.
The Newton Mearns Islamic Centre also reported another incident to the police this week in which a man allegedly attacked a schoolgirl in the street and made threatening comments against Muslims.
And in August, a Nazi-obsessed teenager who plotted a mass murder by setting fire to the Inverclyde Muslim Centre in Greenock was jailed for 10 years.
The 17-year-old had been planning the attack for months, even befriending members of the mosque to gain access to the building.
Mr. Afzal said: "If it hadn’t been for the intervention by Police Scotland, we could have been looking at a mass casualty event, a terrorist attack taking place at that mosque.
"And the fear is that this is now more likely to happen given how the situation has escalated over the last few months. Especially with the things that people are now saying quite comfortably in public, and how attacks against Muslims, mosques, and hotels hosting asylum seekers have become so normalized.
"This issue has emerged across the country. We can no longer be complacent here in Scotland and think that we are exempt from what’s happening across the UK or Europe. We’re now very much witnessing the effects of toxic rhetoric from politicians, reflected in the media, being played out on the streets, where very legitimate concerns people may have are now being weaponized against minority communities and Muslims.
"I believe moving forward we need to explore what more can be done by politicians and anyone within civic society to counteract this.
"We need to start with political speech and how it’s being weaponized. We’ve had numerous reports about the rise and normalization of Islamophobia.
"We’ve had a public inquiry here in Scotland by this cross-party group into tackling Islamophobia. Following that, there were several recommendations which haven’t been implemented yet. We’ve seen this coming, and I think it’s time now for some tangible action to tackle it."
Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, previously said: "Violence, prejudice, racism, Islamophobia, and antisemitism have no place in our society, and nobody should ever be subjected to them.
"This Government will always strive to ensure every person living in Scotland is protected, and that we stand united in opposing anyone who would use disorder as a means of division."
"Scotland is a diverse, multicultural society where everyone is welcome, and I want us to be united in opposing anyone who would seek to use disorder and violence to divide people. However, we are not immune to the actions of a violent, misguided minority, and therefore we must remain vigilant."
Speaking yesterday about an incident where a brick was allegedly thrown through the window of a hotel housing asylum seekers in Falkirk, he said: "It is absolutely despicable.
"There will be people inside that hotel who have experienced fear and terror. It appalls me."
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