Call issued for UK to tackle persecution

SCOTTISH ministers have urged their UK counterparts to do more to help tackle persecution of religious minorities around the world.

International Development Minister Humza Yousaf said he was becoming increasingly concerned following recent atrocities and condemned attackers who “purport to act in the name of Islam”.

He wrote to Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, in the wake of mass killing by the Islamic State (IS) of 21 Coptic Christians in Libya and the attacks in Copenhagen, with an urgent call for more concerted action.

Mr Yousaf expressed his Government’s “shared revulsion” at the events and welcomed the UK’s attendance at a conference on extremism convened by Barack Obama in Washington last week.

He said more work should take place to build on the international consensus, and asked that government repre- sentatives, institutions, faith and community leaders are brought together in an effort to combat extremism.

Mr Yousaf said: “These acts are an appalling attack on the right to religious freedom and they must prevent our multi-cultural and multi-faith democracies from thriving.

“We stand beside the UK Government in wanting to put a stop to the cycle of violence, radicalisation and extremism and to end the persecution of religious minorities. This is a matter for all of us. We also need people of all communities and faiths to work together alongside governments and institutions. Geographical boundaries and beliefs should not stand in our way.

“As a Muslim myself I was brought up to respect those of all faiths and none. Those who purport to act in the name of Islam while carrying out such horrific acts as we saw recently in Libya do not represent the Muslim faith.”