Pleas for calm following sectarian killing in Glasgow

A second vigil has been held for a well-respected Muslim shopkeeper who was killed in what police are treating as a “religiously prejudiced” attack.

Asad Shah, 40, was found seriously injured outside his shop in Minard Road in the Shawlands area of Glasgow on Thursday night and pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.

A 32-year-old Muslim man has been arrested in relation to the incident which happened hours after Mr Shah – an Ahmadi Muslim originally from Pakistan – posted social media messages wishing his customers a happy Easter.

Ahmadis are a sect in Pakistan and in a number of Islamic countries they have been considered non-Muslim and subject to persecution.

Around 150 people gathered on Saturday in the rain to pay their respects to Mr Shah, 40, as floral tributes continued to be laid close to where he was found.

Organised by local teenagers on social media, the event followed a vigil on Friday night attended by a crowd of around 500 people, including First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Glasgow City Council leader Frank McAveety.

The Muslim Council of Scotland has called for calm following the death of the Glasgow shopkeeper.

Salah Beltagui, director of the Muslim Council of Scotland, said: “People are really shocked and very, very distressed that something like this has happened.

“After this event, our message is that everyone should keep calm and try to get together in recognition of being human beings.

“There’s a real feeling of sadness and anxiousness within the community. Hopefully we can learn from it.”

Those attending the vigil were encouraged to bring a daffodil and many laid flowers and lit candles during the gathering.

Mr Beltagui added: “As we saw last night with the vigil in the street, there was a good number of people feeling that they wanted some outlet to share their feelings and this is the best thing we can do – share our feelings.

“There is no reason at all to take a human life.”