Firm belief among Muslims that justice determined by faith

Published on Tuesday 9 February 2010 22:01

THE Siddique case has already spawned a widespread belief among Scotland's Muslims that there is one law for them and another for everybody else.

The release, four years in to an eight-year prison term, has done nothing to allay those fears, according to his lawyer, Aamer Anwar.

"There has been a perception within the community that people of different faiths are treated differently," Mr Anwar said last night.

"Whether that perception is correct or not, it is a problem because the War on Terror depends on intelligence from the Muslim community."

Siddique's original sentence of eight years shocked many of Scotland's Muslim communities, most of whom, like the Alva student, are of Pakistani stock. Even those who thought Siddique had done wrong wondered why he had been put away for so long. Prosecutors have always denied any hint of "institutional racism" or bias against Muslim suspects.

There were real murmurs of discontent in 2008 when a white woman was given six years for stabbing a Muslim man in the chest. Mary McKay was reported to have said: "I hope the guy is dead.

"I just stabbed a guy with the same colour of skin as a terrorist." Was her sentence fair? Perhaps, quietly admitted community leaders in Scotland's most Muslim neighbourhood, Pollokshields. "But why did somebody who stabbed somebody get six years and somebody who only thought about committing crimes get eight?"

Then came the conviction of a troubled white Scot who threatened to blow up Glasgow Central Mosque after viewing footage of the beheading of a British hostage in Iraq.

Neil MacGregor forced authorities to evacuate what is Scotland's biggest single place of worship after he made phone and e-mail threats. The 36-year-old – who called himself a "proud racist" – had also said he would kill a Muslim a day until all the mosques in Scotland were closed. Eventually MacGregor, a former serviceman, was deemed to be suffering from a mental illness. He was given three years probation.

With Siddique's eight years firmly in their minds, the Scottish Islamic Foundation said they believed MacGregor would have been treated very differently if he was of their own faith.