LAST week, I was pleased to be invited to visit Edinburgh Central Mosque and Niddrie Mosque.
I took the opportunity to reaffirm my support for the Muslim community following the awful scenes of far-right violence we have seen across the country.
There is no place for racism and Islamophobia in Britain. So many people have written to me expressing their horror at the racist thuggery and I assured the mosque that they have wide support in our community. I also wanted to ensure that both mosques had received the extra security support the Home Office is offering after the riots.
While I have been pleased to see that the violence did not spread to Scotland, we must always remain vigilant and not be complacent. I am incredibly grateful to the mosque for their offer of Islamophobia training to my office and we will be taking up their offer, alongside a number of other training opportunities to ensure my team can help and support constituents to the best of our abilities.
I am busy recruiting a brilliant team to support me with my work in the community and we are hopeful to have an office open very soon. Please bear with us as we respond to all your queries and concerns.
After a busy summer of surgeries and visits, my regular surgeries in Musselburgh will be the first Friday of every month at The Brunton.
I passionately believe in building cohesive, diverse communities. I have spent 15 years working on migration and integration issues, and will always work as hard as I can to foster tolerance, compassion and integration. I love our incredibly diverse constituency, which many people from all over the world have chosen to make their home, and that is something we should all be proud of.
It was great to pop into the newest addition on Portobello High Street for lunch, the Miami Cuban cafe Mamacita's. It is a family affair bringing a taste of Miami to Scotland!
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel