With Europe reeling from Tuesday’s horrific terrorist attacks in Brussels and still recovering from the atrocities in Paris in November, this remains a sensitive time for community relations.

We must beware of complacency in the days and weeks to come and remember that Scotland is not immune from hate crime, as the firebombing of the Islamic centre in Bishopbriggs in the aftermath of the Paris attacks highlighted.

But it’s just as important that senior members of the Muslim community set the right tone in their responses to extremism, whether it takes place in Europe, the Middle East or Asia. With this in mind, it is both shocking and disappointing to learn of the comments made by the imam of Glasgow Central Mosque – the city’s biggest place of worship – seemingly in support of terrorism in Pakistan.

News: Imam, pictured below with churchman, praises Islamist assassin

The Herald:

Imam Habib Rehman used a messaging app to praise the actions of the man who assassinated Salmaan Taseer, the governor of Punjab. Mumtaz Qadri, a police bodyguard, shot dead the man he was supposed to be protecting in 2011 over Mr Taseer’s opposition to Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws. Imam Rehman expressed sympathy following Qadri’s execution a few weeks ago, calling him a “true Muslim”. Such language is particularly offensive as it apes the vocabulary and tone of the propaganda often used by Islamic State.

Even more disappointingly, the president of the Mosque refused to criticise the Imam.

Moderate Glaswegian Muslims are likely to be particularly upset by these events, not least because they further highlights the split that exists at Glasgow Central Mosque between the “old guard” Pakistani-born conservatives and “young progressive” Scottish-born reformers.

Earlier this year, the Herald ran a series of reports after the reformers running the Mosque resigned en masse citing threats to them and their families.

Seven office-holders, including the president and the general secretary, stood down in what high-profile solicitor Aamer Anwar called an “extremely sad and shameful day for Scotland’s Muslims”. The men were campaigning to give women a bigger role at the Mosque – currently women have little or no say in the running of the organisation. And this is unlikely to change in the short term since conservatives took back control.

It also emerged at the time that previous orthodox leaders were severely criticised by the charity watchdog over the running of the Mosque, following concerns that money had been sent to a group accused of promoting Islamic ultra-conservatism.

The Herald:

All organised religions go through tensions as the old guard struggle to keep up with the modern world and often refuse to give way to progress. But this does not excuse the comments made by Imam Rehman, nor the refusal of senior figures at the mosque to condemn them. It’s also vital and right that all mainstream religious organisations – be they mosques, churches or temples – reflect the wider communities they serve.

Seemingly supporting terrorism in one part of the world, even if you don’t support it in another, is not only hypocritical but harmful, since it plays straight into the hands of those who make dangerous generalisations about Muslims. It’s time for Glasgow Central Mosque to start reflecting its wider community.

How The Herald reported this story in print

The Herald: