Slogans daubed on city mosque

Messages such as "Islam Scum" and "This centre sympathises with the Terrorists", were scrawled over the buildings' doors and walls following last Thursday's bombings.

It comes as police revealed a worrying increase in cases of racial abuse shouted at Muslims in Edinburgh.

Senior officers today branded the attacks "appalling" and said that security had been stepped up around the city's Muslim communities in the wake of the atrocities. The graffiti attacks happened at the Sha Jalal mosque, in Annandale Street Lane, and the Pakistan Community and Cultural Centre, Annandale Street, sometime overnight on Thursday.

Superintendent George Simpson, head of the Lothian and Borders Safer Communities department, said: "We have had minor pieces of graffiti.

"However, these incidents are appalling and there is no space for this behaviour in the democratic society that we live in.

"In the wake of the London bombings we have made contact with all vulnerable premises within the Lothian and Borders force area. We are providing patrols and regular checks of these premises on a daily basis.

"We want to hear from anybody who has been a victim of racial attack of any nature, be it verbal or physical, especially at this vulnerable period."

Supt Simpson said that some Muslims had also been victims of severe "verbal attacks" since last Thursday.

Jalal Chaudry, chairman of the Islamic Society of Scotland, said: "It is very upsetting that these two mosques have been vandalised in this way. There have been reports of a number of mosques in London being targeted since last week's bombings.

"I only hope this doesn't happen north of the Border as it is very damaging to the Muslim community. However, we have the full backing of the police, who have been extremely supportive and reassuring. People are quick to assume that Islam is to blame but they should wait until the full investigation has been carried out before jumping to conclusions."

Councillor Shami Khan, a leading member of the city's Pakistan community, added: "It is a shame that it has been targeted just because of these headcase fundamentalists. We have done so much work over the years to help build confidence in the Muslim community and some Muslims live in fear of things like this happening. It is a shame that all our hard work gets ruined."