The leader of Scotland's biggest mosque has called for tolerance of minority Ahmadis - such as slain Glasgow shopkeeper Asad Shah - as concerns were raised over "hate preaching" against the sect.
Shafi Kausar insisted majority Sunni Muslims should have "no quarrel" with the minority group, which suffers from violent persecution in Pakistan and elsewhere.
Dr Kausar, president of Glasgow Central Mosque was speaking after the alleged killer of Mr Shah declared through his lawyer that the shopkeeper had "disrespected" the Prophet Muhammad.
Analysis: A dead shopkeeper, allegations of "hate preaching" and fears of Scotland's Ahmadis
Herald View: Intolerance must be opposed on all fronts
Accused Tanveer Ahmed, in a highly unusual statement, added: "If I had not done this others would."
Ahmadis had responded to the declaration by calling on all of Scotland's mosques and their leaders to condemn what appeared to be a call for apostasy to be punishable by death. Community leaders have taken police advice on safety, saying the Ahmed declaration could be used "to justify the killing of anyone who had shown disrespect to Islam".
Their official Scottish organisation - the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community based at the Baitur Rahman mosque in Yorkhill, Glasgow - warned that hate against the sect had been preached in Scottish mosques.
Its regional president, Abdul Ghaffar Abid, said: "The root cause of the crime should be condemned; not only the crime. Historically, these mosques have been the centre of the preaching of hate, so they cannot deny that.
Picture: Mr Abid and fellow Ahmadi leader Ahmed Owusu Konadu
"They should say they will not do it again."
Glasgow Central Mosque's Dr Kausar said: "We have condemned Mr Shah's murder and will always condemn it. It has nothing to do with Islam. Anybody who is saying that he deserved to die is a lunatic."
Glasgow Central Mosque has been engulfed in civil war between liberals and conservative Sunnis of the Deobandi branch of the faith in recent months.
There are growing concerns that radical or ultra-orthodox views from Pakistan have gained a foothold at the mosque although accused Tanveer Ahmed has had no association with Glasgow.
The Muslim Council of Scotland, meanwhile, said it is "deeply concerned" by Ahmed's statement and added that it affirmed "the right of Ahmadis to their freedom of belief".
The council has asked Imams across Scotland to use their sermons on Friday as a reminder of holding respect for all, regardless of belief.
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