Claire Thain on how a community came together following a racist attack on a mosque

In December 2016, the words “Saracen go home” and “Deus Vult”, a Latin term meaning "God wills it" were scrawled on the walls of Cumbernauld mosque in an act of racist vandalism.

The terms allude to the Crusades, but have become popular with racist far-right groups in recent years. Police Scotland treated the incident as both a hate crime and an act of vandalism.

Trustees of the mosque made it clear that they believed this incident was an isolated one, as they have found the community to generally be supportive.

This support was made all the more evident when the Mosque, not to be cowed by this attack, rallied together and decided to hold their first open day less than two months later - and it was a huge success, with over 1,200 visitors from the wider community attending to show solidarity with the mosque and to learn more about the Islamic faith.

The Connecting Communities event was part of Visit My Mosque day, held on Sunday 5 February, which this year had over 150 mosques participating.

Visitors to Cumbernauld mosque received a warm welcome and there was plenty to see and do, with numerous activities and exhibits available throughout the event which ran from noon to 5pm.

There were over a dozen volunteers on hand to answer questions and eager to share their knowledge of their faith.

Guests were given the opportunity to observe worshippers participating in noon and sunset prayers. There was also an Islamic Culture Exhibition with many informative stands explaining aspects of the Islamic faith, including the various connections between Scotland and Islam.

Free food and drink was served, various activities catered specifically for children, such as arts and crafts, learning Arabic letters and face painting.

A popular feature was the opportunity to try henna and wear traditional Islamic clothing, with female visitors shown how to wear a hijab.

The imam held question and answer sessions over a microphone and throughout the day all of the volunteers were eager to answer questions and talk with visitors, ensuring a warm, friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

During the event, a cheque for £1000 was presented to the Scottish Spina Bifida Association – the result of an earlier cake and bake sale fundraising effort; just one of many community initiatives held by members of the mosque.

There were also a number of stalls at the event, including Police Scotland discussing local concerns and the NHS providing first aid lessons.

For many of those attending, it was the first time they had ever visited a mosque, but the engaging event proved to be a hit with those of other faiths and no faiths who attended.

The value of such events was clear, with the open day helping to improve inter-faith relations and understanding between people from different walks of life. The event tackled the fear, misunderstanding and misconceptions which are all too prevalent and which contribute to the spread of islamophobic attitudes in our nation.

For members of the Muslim community, there is often the feeling their faith is misunderstood and misrepresented, particularly in the media. Negative stereotypes abound, with representation of global political events often only helping to fuel misunderstanding and fear by making Islam and terrorism one in the same.

Visit My Mosque day is now in its third year and aims to encourage all mosques in Britain to hold an open day at least once per year, with the aim of fostering better community relations and community cohesion for the good of society as a whole, work for a more enlightened appreciation of Islam and Muslims in the wider society, attempt to reduce misconceptions about Islam and Muslims in Britain and celebrate the vast array of charitable, outreach and social action projects performed by mosques.

Instead of withdrawing into themselves after the racist graffiti attack in December, the Cumbernauld Muslim community opened their doors and helped to spread understanding, mutual respect and strengthen community bonds.

Thank you to the Cumbernauld Masjid community for the wonderful welcome and I hope there will be the opportunity to attend more open days in the future.

Claire Thain is a community activist.