Police officers arrested the suspect at 9.30 pm, forty minutes into the attack [Ken Jack/Getty Images]
Muslim associations in Scotland and the UK have spoken out against an ‘alarming pattern of violence’ against Muslim communities following the wounding of five in Edinburgh in suspected Islamophobic attacks.
The attacks in Edinburgh on Friday night saw a man wound five people, including two who had been attending prayers at Broomhouse Mosque in Sighthill.
Three other people were later wounded in the Telford Road and Leith Walk area of the city after the man drove from site of the initial attack, with four of the victims needing hospital treatment.
Police officers arrested the suspect, a 36-year-old white Scottish man, at 9.30 pm, forty minutes into the rampage. He has since been charged.
Fear in the Muslim community
The Scottish Association of Mosques said that the attack was “the latest in an alarming pattern of hostility and violence directed towards Muslims, Mosques and Islamic institutions across Scotland”, noting that there had also been a rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric online, as well as offline.
Director of Public Affairs for the association, Omar Afzal, said that “there is a profound sense of shock, alarm and anger within Muslim communities across Edinburgh and Scotland”.
Afzal added that there has been a growth in anti-migrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric online, which is spilling into criminal violence, and that Scotland was no exception to hatred and extremism.
“Scotland requires a coordinated national strategy to tackle anti-Muslim hatred, address the conditions in which extremism flourishes, and ensure that minority communities can live their lives free from fear.”
Anti-migrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric has increased drastically in recent months, with an attack in Belfast by a Sudanese refugee earlier in June leading to three days of riots targeting migrants. There were also riots in Scotland.
The Muslim Council of Britain said that while it was grateful for the police intervention, the incident came following earlier riots in Belfast that targeted minorities.
“The Muslim community is rightly nervous and worried. To our community: stay vigilant, stay united, look out for one another, and please report any Islamophobic hate crimes,” the council added.
Far-right accused of stoking violence
The attack saw politicians across the political spectrum condemn the violence, with Prime Minister Kier Starmer saying on X: “No one should face violence on our streets. The suspect appears to be motivated by anti-Muslim hatred. I will not tolerate this – he will face the full force of the law.”
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, also condemned the attacks, calling them “disturbing” and “abhorrent” in a post on X.
The Scottish Conservatives told The New Arab that “there is no room for racism or faith-based violence in Scotland, the perpetrator must face the full weight of the law”.
Some took to calling out far-right MP Rupert Lowe, leader of Restore Britain, noting that the violence came following the release of his report that claimed 250,000 white girls had been raped by Muslim gangs in the UK.
Former First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf said in a post on X: “Hey [Rupert Lowe] you blew the dog-whistle this week, and people have reacted exactly how you wanted them to.”
“Over 4 [million] Muslims in the UK, and you have made every single one of us a target. You should be utterly ashamed of yourself,” he added.
During the arrest, the suspect said: “I’m protecting the country from these f****** Muslim b******* raping our daughters.”
Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party, reposted a post from Journalist Mehdi Hassan on X, calling out Rupert Lowe for “his b***s*** ‘rape gang report’ falsely claiming Muslims raped 250,000 white girls,” which he said correlated with the attack.
“They’re inciting violence against Muslims and emboldening extremists,” he added.
Both Hassan and Polanski also called out Elon Musk, with Polanski saying the tech tycoon was creating the conditions for these attacks.
Polanski also questioned why Starmer had not calling a COBRA meeting over the attack. Starmer had previously called COBRA meetings following attacks on Jewish communities in Britain.
A Cabinet Office spokesperson said it doesn’t routinely comment on the meetings.
Rupert Lowe doubled down on his rhetoric, saying Polanski and Yousaf were attempting to demonise him, claiming that there was a link between Islam and grooming gangs in the UK.
