Reaction

Scotland's first high-profile terrorism trial has made uncomfortable viewing for members of the Muslim community.

Unlike those behind the attempted bombing of Glasgow Airport, Mohammed Atif Siddique was born and raised in Scotland. He attended mosques in Glasgow, Stirling and Alloa and his religious education was the same as any young Muslim growing up here could expect to receive.

The question facing community leaders now is: if Siddique could become so radicalised, could others? A study published recently by the Council of British Pakistanis in Scotland found that half the country's 31 mosque leaders thought extremist behaviour existed here, with the "vast majority" citing the UK Government's foreign policy as the reason.

Security sources claimed yesterday there may be up to 200 other radicalised young Muslims in Scotland. But the Crown Office and Central Scotland Police went out of their way to stress that Siddique had been prosecuted as an individual for criminal acts, and that the case did not reflect on the wider Muslim community.

Muslim leaders who spoke to The Herald defended the reputation of Scottish mosques - the majority of which are Sunni - as liberal and moderate. Unlike some English mosques which have earned a reputation for radicalism, notably Finsbury Park in London where Abu Hamza gave sermons supporting terrorism, Scotland's mosques are not home to radical preachers or group meetings, they said.

Bashir Maan, chairman of Glasgow Central Mosque, said Siddique's was an isolated case which illustrated the dangers posed by extremist websites. Young people with access to computers could become influenced "anywhere in the world", Mr Maan said, comparing the dangers posed by extremists to that of paedophiles who groomed children via the web.

However, while Scotland's mosques have not been criticised for radicalising their members, prominent Scottish Muslims said not enough had been done to combat radicalism.

Naeem Raza, a consultant who advises and trains companies on understanding and dealing with Muslim communities, said there was "no evidence" that any mosques or formalised Islamic groups were spreading a jihadi message in Scotland.

But he said there was an attitude of "let's not talk about it" when it came to radical politics. The result, he said, was that young people in danger of being radicalised did not have an open forum in which to discuss political issues and be dissuaded from pursuing extremism.

"Invariably, those who become radicalised will have been convinced by someone with a higher level of Islamic knowledge than them. It may not be correct, but it is more informed," said Mr Raza.

He added: "The imams should be talking about radicalism and extremism. We shouldn't be at the scenario where we all just shut up. We need to get things out in the open so that people are equipped to deal with this issues."

Gabriele Marranci, an anthropologist at Aberdeen University, countered the view that radicalisation could occur on the internet alone. He claimed individuals could be persuaded to act only through face-to-face contact with exploiters. "The website by itself does not work. I don't believe it has the power to radicalise. People need a face-to-face network, a sense of solidarity and mutual discussion," he said.

Osama Saeed, Scottish spokesman for the Muslim Association of Britain, agreed that there needed to be more political debate about issues such as Iraq within Scottish mosques. "The problem is not with mosques being too politicised. The problem is they're not politicised enough," he said.

But Mr Saeed said Muslims were in an invidious position when it came to expressing political views. "I think Muslim individuals and organisations have tried to engage in the democratic process by organising protests and lobbying over issues such as Iraq. That has seen us criticised for engaging in the political system, called Islamicists, and accused of politicising faith," he said.

Amanullah De Sondy, a divinity lecturer at Glasgow University, said Muslims were still "ghettoised" in Scotland, making them more vulnerable to radicalisation. "Why do people use this phrase Scottish Muslims'? Why not just Scots?" he asked. "Too many Muslims have two hats. One hat they wear when talking to people in the mosque, another when talking to people outside."

Although Scotland has developed a relatively moderate interpretation of Islam, Mr De Sondy argued this was compromised by the connection with more radical relatives in Pakistan.

"I have students who tell me they don't fit in with the mosques or Muslim organisations and feel intimidated by the need to grow a beard and that way of interpreting Islam. That's extremism. It makes it so much easier to feel isolated and then be radicalised. It's like a ladder: once you're on the first rung, it's easier to keep going higher up it."