Current status: Answered by Alex Neil on 1 December 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to promote positive and supportive attitudes toward the Muslim community following the Paris attacks.
The Scottish Government continues to have a high level of engagement with Scotland’s Muslim communities and has been actively engaging with the Muslim communities, including the Muslim Council of Scotland, to hear their concerns and send a strong message on this issue.
The Scottish Government is aware Police Scotland was alerted to a suspected arson of a portacabin used as a temporary mosque in Auchinairn, Glasgow which occurred early in the morning on 17 November 2015. This is under investigation and Police Scotland is pursuing leads to find those responsible.
We have been clear that the actions of individuals with extremist views do not represent Islam as a religion and that the Muslim community should not have to apologise for this distortion of their faith.
The First Minister, Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Minister for Europe and International Development visited Glasgow Central Mosque on 15 November 2015 to meet with members of the Muslim community and provide a message of reassurance. The Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland’s Languages also visited Inverness Mosque on 17 November 2015 to meet with the community there. The Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs joined an event featuring a number of community and faith leaders at the Mosque on 20 November 2015.
The Scottish Government continues to support Scottish Interfaith Week to highlight the importance of dialogue and building relationships between communities of all faiths and none. The Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform spoke at the launch of the week on 22 November 2015.