Part four: Community reaction
By Rachelle Money and David Christie

Scottish Muslims were holding their breath last night as they waited for news on whether the incident at Glasgow airport was confirmed as terrorist attack. Since 9/11 and the July 7 bombings two years ago, the fear that Scotland could become a target has always been somewhat distant.

Yesterday's events, however, made that fear an uncomfortably close reality.

Bashir Maan, Scottish representative on the Muslim Council of Great Britain, said he prayed the men involved were not Muslims because it would "add to the anti-Islamic atmosphere and Islamophobia."

"It could be very detrimental to the community relations, to the image of the Muslim community, not only in Scotland but the whole of Britain."

Maan stressed the message that "Islam condemns terrorism".

Osama Saeed, Scottish spokesman for the Muslim Association of Britain, said he was also keeping "optimistic" that the men were not terrorists, and said he would be "astounded" if the facts proved otherwise.

He said: "If it turns out to be part of the wider war on terror it will shatter a lot of things for me because I've never seen it genuinely in this country. There aren't even any nutters pretending to be part of this Osama Bin Laden struggle on the streets of Scotland, and I've lived here all my life."

Saeed warned that as the UK now has a new, Scottish prime minister it may herald a "new chapter" in terror threats.

"What I will say about this is that 9/11 shocked everyone including the Muslim community, and if this is part of that it sets everyone back."

The general reaction on the streets of Glasgow's Pollokshields, which has a large Muslim population, was of shock and disgust.

Omar Hussain, 36, said that any Islamist attack would send the community "back ten years".

"It's pathetic. People know fine well in religion you're not allowed to take lives. These people who have been arrested, most likely they won't be religious, just idiots.

"Glasgow has always been separate from London. Yes, there are racial tensions like everywhere else but nothing like this."

A local shopkeeper, Shaukat Hussain, 54, said he was "horrified" that such an incident had taken place.

He was also reminded of the 7/7 London bombings, which will be commemorated on Saturday.

Hussain said: "For something to come so close to our houses, our homes. London isn't that far but this is on our doorsteps. I hope it's not one of ours; I hope it was an accident.

He went on to say that the aftermath of this would "affect us all".

"If not quickly then slowly, people start thinking differently."

Younger members of the community, such as 19-year-old Imran Ahmed said the media were guilty of "drawing their own conclusions" too quickly.

"The media makes so much up so when anything happens the first reaction is terrorist attack. They link too much up immediately and draw their own conclusions.

"If it does turn out to be true then it's bang out of order. Things like that shouldn't be happening."

Amanullah de Sondy, a researcher at the Centre for the Study of Islam at Glasgow University said the first minister should now scrap plans for separate Muslim faith schools.

"Alex Salmond should now sit up and realise this is a threat to us and we have to something about this. We need to ask how are we going to do about this.

"Rather than creating a separate school issue for Muslims we need to bring all the communities together."

He added: "We have something unique but I had this feeling this was going to happen because we were sitting too cosy. God forbid this isn't the beginning."

Sondy said he believes that if this was a terrorist attack the perpetrators will have come from outside Scotland.

"I have faith that Muslims who are born in Scotland won't have acted in this way. I don't think Muslims in Scotland have that kind of hatred. You really need to hate the land and the people to do something like this."

He also went on to say that "alarm bells should be ringing with politicians and Muslim leaders".

"Today no-one died but tomorrow some idiot could do something much worse."

He added: "Who is going to suffer? It won't be the radical groups. It's going to be the minorities, the refugees and asylum seekers and Muslim community. Everyone is going to turn round and look at them and create so much fear."