A year-long programme of events has been launched to increase awareness of the Islamic faith in Scotland.

A year-long programme of events has been launched to increase awareness of the Islamic faith in Scotland.

A "Burns-Iqbal Supper" as part of next year's Homecoming celebration, and an Islamic trade conference to attract new investment, are two of the events being organised by the Scottish-Islamic Foundation.

A delegation from the organisation will visit two war-crimes locations, Auschwitz in Poland and Srebrenica in Bosnia, to raise awareness of hate crimes.

At the group's annual conference yesterday at Hampden Park in Glasgow, speakers including Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Scottish Trades Union Congress general-secretary Grahame Smith stressed the Muslim contribution to Scottish society.

The conference, entitled Scottish Muslim Futures, launched initiatives to get young Muslims involved in sport and to learn leadership.

Osama Saeed, the foundation's chief executive, announced a report into the role of madrassahs, or religious schools, in the country.

Mr Saeed said: "Scotland's community relations are an example to the rest of the world, and this is a story we want to tell.

"However a Scottish Government survey found that half of Scots see Muslims as a threat' to the country.

"We think this would be reduced if people knew how much Muslims have contributed to the country now, and in the past."