Aamer Anwar warns of "climate of fear" in Muslim community

In a dramatic sign of reconciliation between conservatives and liberals at Glasgow Central Mosque, Imam Habib ur Rehman used Friday prayers to reach out a hand of friendship to Mr Anwar.

Mr Rehman urged tolerance and respect and made it clear Mr Anwar was welcome at the Mosque.

However, the lawyer, who has a young family, remains a target for abuse and threats from conservatives who have accused him of trying to shut down the Mosque and "smearing" the entire Muslim Community.

Mr Anwar said The Herald: “A small minority have deliberately set out to create a climate of fear within the community.

“Over the last few weeks some have tried to whip up abuse and hatred on social media.

“Others hiding behind anonymity have created petitions to carry out abuse, whilst some think they are free to attack on Facebook or call me up in the middle of the night.

“The Imam’s message on Friday was an important one of tolerance, if me and him could put our differences aside because of the greatest crisis the Mosque had faced in years and unite with others then surely that is a positive example to set.”

A spokesman for Police Scotland said: "We can confirm that police are investigating these threats and our inquiries are continuing."

News of the death threats, broken in The Herald’s sister paper the Sunday Herald, sparked a wave of public support for Mr Anwar.

Scottish Government minister Humza Yousaf, one of Scotland’s most prominent Muslims, tweeted: “Disagree all you like with Aamer Anwar, but no justification for threats made against him.

“He’s stood up for many without a voice over years.”

Disagree all you like with @AamerAnwar but no justification for threats made against him. He's stood up for many without a voice over years

— Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) 2 April 2016

News of the threats came after a dramatic number of months for the Glasgow community culminating with revelations that Mosque insiders had links with banned Islamist organisations and the death of Mr Shah, pictured below, a member of the persecuted Ahmadi sect.

Although unrelated, the two incidents sparked both sides in an ongoing turf war over Glasgow Central Mosque to declare ‘unity’ at what Mr Anwar said was a historic press conference on Thursday.

The meeting was brokered by Mr Anwar with backing from Police Scotland, which has taken close interest in Mosque politics in recent weeks.

Pictured: The historic handshake between Glasgow Central Mosque's Sunni Imam Habib ur Rehman and Ahmadi community leader Ahmed Owusu-Konadu

Historic unity meeting among Islamic leaders in Glasgow

The threats against the lawyer are presumed to come from people with extremist sympathies. However, others in Glasgow’s Muslim community have also faced abuse in recent weeks, including Imam Habib.

The mosque’s main religious leader, the imam had praised an Islamist killer, Mumtaz Qadri.

Background: What the Imam actually said

Background: The toxic Pakistani sectarian politics echoing in Scotland

Mr Rehman claims his remarks were out of context and has increasingly distanced himself from such views in recent days.

Police have said that the views did not constitute a crime.

Mr Anwar has been highly critical of Mr Rehman’s remarks about Mr Qadri, who he described as a ‘true muslim’.

However, Mr Anwar also condemned the abuse of Mr Rehman, pictured below meeting the Church of Scotland moderate, who has faced social media demands that he be hung or "lynched".

Explaining his decision to reveal the death threats against him, Mr Anwar said: “Over the years I have been subjected to all sorts of serious threats which I have deliberately avoided talking about publicly.

“But this week was the final straw, being made to feel that my life was as at risk and I should be silent because I have a young family - this is not how I want to live my life."

In other tweets from a now closed account using an image of the recently executed Pakistani extremist Qadri as its profile pic, he was accused of being a "kuffar", or non-Muslim.

Meanwhile, family and friends of Mr Shah gathered for prayers at the Bait-Ur-Rahman Mosque at the Ahmadiyya Muslim Centre in the west of the city.

The 40-year-old was found injured outside his convenience store in Shawlands, Glasgow, on March 24, after an attack which police described as religiously prejudiced.

Tanveer Ahmed, 32, from Bradford in West Yorkshire, has since appeared in court charged with murder.

Picture: friends and neighbours pay respects to Mr Shah

Prayers were led at the hour-long service by Mansoor Shah, vice president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK.

Inside the hall at the mosque in the city's Yorkhill area reads the message: "Love For All Hatred For None".

In a tribute to Mr Shah, his family said he treated everyone "with the utmost kindness and respect".

They said: ''He was a brilliant man, recognising that the differences between people are vastly outweighed by our similarities.

"And he didn't just talk about this, he lived it each and every day, in his beloved community of Shawlands and his country of Scotland."

Aamer Anwar in his own Words

"Having been a campaigner for human rights for over 25 years I have grown used to the bile and hatred directed at me, sadly that is part of the course.

"On occasion when I have had my life seriously threatened I have informed the police but have always chosen to keep it private.

"On this occasion I could no longer remain silent, because a small minority have deliberately set out to create a climate of fear within the community. Over the last few weeks some have tried to whip up abuse and hatred on social media. Others hiding behind anonymity have created petitions to carry out abuse, whilst some think they are free to attack on Facebook or call me up in the middle of the night. On one occasion an individual using a profile picture of Mumtaz Qadri declared me a ‘Kuffar’ an unbeliever which traditionally means punishment by death.

"I for one do not want to see an import of hatred from the cesspit of extremism that exists in Pakistan, if I chose to speak out it was because the sanctity of life and freedom of expression are fundamental human rights, all concepts central to Islam. The Imam’s message on Friday was an important one of tolerance, if me and him could put our differences aside because of the greatest crisis the Mosque had faced in years and unite with others then surely that is a positive example to set.

"I hold those anonymous key board warriors directly responsible for creating an atmosphere which has given some the confidence to want to threaten my life. With a young family I could be forgiven if I had chosen to shut up and walk away. The pressure from the community, friends and family to protect myself from the fanatics has been enormous.

"It is a terrifying and deeply lonely place to be when you say goodbye to your children and wonder if it is for the last time, but the death of Asad Shah should be a wake up call to our community that we must not be silenced.

"Some of our so-called community leaders must do much more, they have deliberately avoided even discussing recent events so as to preserve their status or their votes, but such an approach is shameful and cowardly.

"I was asked why go public now, it's because I can't take anymore, this hatred has been deliberately whipped up and hope that others will not sit idly by.

"I do take the threats to my life extremely seriously and am grateful to Police Scotland for their support in what has been an extremely difficult time.

"I cannot go into specific details of the threats as these are matters which Police Scotland are investigating."

How The Herald's sister paper broke the death threats story.