David Cameron has given his full support to a campaign against extremism in Scotland following the killing of a Muslim shopkeeper in Glasgow.
Asad Shah was fatally stabbed outside his shop in the city’s Shawlands area in March.
Angus Robertson, the SNP’s leader at Westminster, called on the Prime Minister to back the United Against Extremism campaign launched in the wake of Mr Shah’s death.
He said: “It’s believed that the recent murder of Glasgow shopkeeper Asad Shah was religiously motivated and this week Christian, Jewish, Sikh and Ahmadiyya Muslim faith leaders launched a campaign across Scotland entitled United Against Extremism.
“Will the Prime Minister join me and colleagues of all parties in supporting the aims of this campaign to support and foster understanding and stand up to extremism?”
Mr Cameron replied: “I will certainly join you.
“This was an absolutely shocking murder and I think what it demonstrates again, and what your question hints at, is that we need not only to stand up against violence and acts of appalling violence like this but we also need to stand up against the extremist mindset that sometimes tries to justify events like this or other such outrages.”
Mr Robertson said he agreed with the Prime Minister as he said the death of Mr Shah was “just the most recent example of sectarian extremism targeting the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in the UK”.
He said there have been reports of people being refused employment, businesses being boycotted and school children being bullied while others have even faced death threats because of their faith.
He asked Mr Cameron: “Does the Prime Minister agree that this is totally unacceptable in a country where we believe in free speech and religious tolerance and the time has come for all community and all faith leaders of all religions to stand up against extremism?”
Mr Cameron said: “I certainly agree that faith leaders can play a huge role in standing up against extremism and I welcome what they do, but again I think we need to be very clear about what we are facing.
“The attack on Ahmadiyya Muslims by other Muslims demonstrates once again that what we face is not some clash of civilisations between Islam and Christianity or Islam and Buddhism.
“What we are seeing is a small minority within one of the great religions of our world, Islam, believing that there is only one way, a violent extremist way, of professing their faith.
“This is a battle within Islam and we have to be on the side of the moderate majority and make sure that they win it.
“We have to really understand what is happening here, otherwise we will take the wrong path.”
