SCOTLAND could face attacks by "home-grown" terrorists unless urgent action is taken, according to a prominent Muslim community leader.
Mohammed Akram, president of the Council of British Pakistanis (Scotland), warned there was no evidence that the country would be "immune" to incidents like the 7/7 bombings which targeted London's transport network.
His comments came as a report revealed that almost half of Scotland's mosque leaders believed extremism existed in Muslim communities north of the Border. A study by the council found that the "vast majority" of imams blamed the UK government's foreign policy.
Mr Akram said: "So far, the attacks have been unpredictable. The 7/7 attacks in London were home-grown and there's nothing to suggest that Scotland will be immune to that.
"We want our Muslim community to be more alert to try to combat extremism."
Mr Akram said beyond the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, other contributing factors cited for the rise of extremism were "wrong interpretation of Islam" and "lack of parental guidance".
However, more than two-thirds of Scotland's 31 imams said long-term government action, including financing an Islamic training college, would "help prevent extremism and terrorism".
The survey of head imams and their representatives - which is the result of the Scottish Executive-funded Democratic Participation Project - found two-thirds believed the relationship between Islam and the West would improve over the next decade. However, Osama Saeed, the Scottish spokesman for the Muslim Association of Britain, last night said the findings excluded the views of large sections of the Muslim community. He said:
"There is far more to the Muslim community than the mosques.
"By taking these views as the only ones which are valid, you are effectively ruling out women and people under 25, who don't feel engaged.
"It is similar to what the police used to do to when they went into the mosques but ended up only talking to middle-aged businessmen."
Mr Saeed also said "extremism" was a highly emotive word, which had various interpretations. "You have to question if those who openly espouse it and carry placards saying 'Death to Britain' mean it," he said.
"Secondly, those who are actually engaged in terrorism will be very secretive - the 7 July bombers are a good example."
A spokesman for the Edinburgh Central Mosque said: "Where actual extreme opinions exist, it is unlikely they would be aired in public.
"If someone had extreme views, the imam would engage them in discussion or, if they were talking about a criminal act, report them to the police.
"But there is a huge difference between having extreme views and plotting action.
Source