Shopkeeper's disgust over bigoted graffiti

Published on Thursday 10 January 2008 09:21

AN Asian shopkeeper today said he was "disgusted and hurt" after his bakery was daubed with religiously-offensive graffiti.

Mohammed Munir, 49, a Muslim from Penicuik, has seen his shop, the Pentland Bakery in Pentland Terrace, targeted three times since last November.

The latest incident saw the words "Profit is a peado" and a Star of David scrawled across his shop. White paint had also been splashed over the bakery's windows. Police are treating it as a bigoted hate crime.

Mr Munir, who is originally from Pakistan and also owns Lothian Grocers in Penicuik's John Street, said: "I've lived and worked in Penicuik since 1984 and nothing like this has ever happened to me before.

"The only problems I might have is having to deal with underage customers. I know friends who are non-Muslim and I like to think I get on with everybody.

"But when I saw this latest vandalism I was disgusted and hurt by what I read. I don't know why people would do it."

The graffiti was being cleaned off the wall yesterday by staff from the Midlothian Community Partnership.

Mr Munir said the two earlier acts of vandalism had not been as serious and his staff had been able to clean it off.

The attacks on Mr Munir's shop have caused outrage in the area. Mike Jackson, secretary of the Penicuik and District Community Council, said: "The community council deplores any such form of graffiti.

"We are a community and what has happened to Mr Munir denigrates everyone in our community, especially when the vandalism becomes apparently personal or attacking a religious group."

Detectives said they were following a number of leads.

Inspector Neil Simpson said: "We are dealing with a hate crime and hate crimes of any kind, against any group in the community, will not be tolerated.

"Whoever did it can be assured we'll track them down."

He said the empty pots of white paint used in the attack had been recovered by officers and were being examined for prints.

Police believe the word "profit" was a misspelling of "prophet".

Insp Simpson said: "It is significant that the spelling of 'prophet' is wrong.

"The word 'peado' also makes us think we are looking for someone not particularly articulate. We are keeping an open mind over why the Star of David is there."