Thousands have signed petition urging Donald Trump to visit a Scottish mosque next week after he repeated his call for Muslims to be banned from entering the US in the wake of the Orlando shootings.

Just over 1,000 people had signed the petition before the tragedy at the weekend.

But in the wake of the Republican Presidential candidate's recent comments that number has leapt to more than 13,000.

READ MORE: A year after launching his presidential campaign, Donald Trump faces a crossroads

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie, who along with faith leaders? has led calls for Mr Trump to visit a mosque when he is in Scotland, said: "It is no surprise that the crass, self-serving response that we saw from Donald Trump to the tragedy in Orlando has inspired more people to back calls for him to meet with Muslims while he is in Scotland next week.

"Donald Trump's reaction to the Orlando shootings underlines the urgent need for him to meet some of those that he is demonising while he is in the UK .

"He needs to accept these invitations."

Mr Trump faced condemnation after he repeated his call for Muslims to be barred from travelling to the US.

The gunman Omar Mateen, 29, who killed 49 people at a gay club on Saturday night, was born in the US, the son of Afghan immigrants.

He pledged allegiance to Islamic State (IS) during the massacre.

READ MORE: A year after launching his presidential campaign, Donald Trump faces a crossroads

But reports later suggested that he had been a regular at the club before the attack, raising questions over whether the shootings were really motivated by his own closeted homosexuality.

But his controversial comments initially appeared to help Mr Trump, with the lead of his Democrat rival Hillary Clinton narrowing.

Mr Trump is due to fly in and out of Prestwick and Aberdeen on a two-day tour next week - just as the UK goes to the polls in the EU referendum.

While in Scotland he is due to attend the official re-opening of his Turnberry golf club in Ayrshire, following a £200m revamp.

At least five mosques in Scotland have offered to open their doors to the tycoon, in a bod to educate him about their faith.

READ MORE: A year after launching his presidential campaign, Donald Trump faces a crossroads

Campaigners from 38 degrees have also announced plans to hire a plane to fly a banner over Mr Trump's head while he is at Turnberry "to make sure he gets the invite".

The group, who have also organised the petition,say they want to put pressure on Mr Trump to "accept the invitation or explain publicly why he's refusing to go".

Mr Trump is also expected to face demonstrations from protesters angry at what they say are his racist, xenophobic and misogynist views.

In their original invitation Hafiz Ghafoor of Edinburgh's Annandale Mosque and Munawar Hussain, secretary of the Roxburgh Street Mosque and Islamic Centre, also in the city, accused the billionaire of "ignorance".

"Before he makes another inflammatory speech, Mr Trump should learn more about the Muslims that he offends almost every time he opens his mouth," they said.

Last year Scottish ministers and MPs called for him to barred from Britain for "hate speech" after his initial call for a bar on Muslims entering the US.

Earlier this week the billionaire was forced to deny he was snubbing Ireland amid reports his transatlantic trip to visit his golf resorts has been cut short.

But his planned trip to his Doonbeg golf links in County Clare appeared to have been cut from his itinerary.

Mr Trump’s visit to Ireland had been expected to clash with a trip by US Vice President Joe Biden.