“The sharp increase in Scots who feel distanced from Muslims, as revealed in a survey conducted before the foiled attack on Glasgow Airport in June, has produced remarkably similar responses from members of the Scottish establishment. Communities Minister Stewart Maxwell has promised ‘leadership’ to fight prejudice and Osama Saeed of the Muslim Council of Britain has called for ‘educating the wider public’.

“Can the fact that 50% of Scots are uncomfortable with more Muslims coming to the country be ascribed wholly or mainly to racism or Islamophobia? Might it have something to do with certain Muslim leaders demanding more special rights or demands for ethical autonomy that are incompatible with the western design for living? …

“I was shaken by the insistence of Morag Alexander of the Equality and Human Rights Commission that it is necessary to ‘create a Scotland that is at ease with all aspects of diversity’. This is a recipe for anarchy….”

Letter from Tom Gallagher in the Herald, 15 December 2007