The Edinburgh Attacks & the rising climate of Islamophobia

On the evening of Friday 19 June in Edinburgh, a man armed with a machete attacked five people, including two worshippers who were set upon as they left the mosque. Our hearts are with them and their families, and we pray for a full and speedy recovery.

That a person could leave a house of God and be attacked for it strikes at something sacred. The journey to and from prayer should be safe for everyone. We are grateful to all those who acted to protect life that night.

These attacks do not occur in a vacuum. As he was arrested, the man was recorded shouting that he was “protecting the country from f***ing Muslim b******ds raping our young daughters.” These are not his words alone. They are a narrative — the lie that Muslims are a collective threat to this country’s children — built and legitimised over years by politicians chasing headlines, by far-right agitators, and by media outlets that profit from it. When a falsehood is spoken from platforms of power and left unchallenged, it does not stay as rhetoric. It ends, as we have seen repeatedly in recent days, with innocent people being attacked. Those who hold power over public language hold responsibility for where it leads.

This hatred never targets Muslims alone, and we stand with every minority community that has felt the sharp edge of racism. We are all at our best when we stand together.

To our community: you are not alone. We understand that the current climate is frightening. We share your frustration at how little our political and civic leaders have said or done to challenge this hatred and protect those it targets. Concern is not enough. We call on them to name this hatred plainly, and to confront the rhetoric that feeds it — before more of our community is harmed.

More than ever, we must look out for one another, and travel safely to and from prayer. Our doors remain open, and we will continue to gather as we always have.