Islamic charity shop set on fire after repeated threats
Monday, July 6, 2009 
The Glasgow branch of Islamic Relief, a worldwide disaster relief charity and member of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), has been badly damaged after being set on fire in the early hours of Thursday morning. Commenting on the incident Habib Malik, Head of Islamic Relief Scotland, said:
"This is a huge blow for the local community. Not only is this our Scottish HQ but also our leading charity shop in the country, it is a vibrant hub for the community, with volunteers and donors regularly passing through the doors.
"Unfortunately, earlier this year, during the time of our Gaza Emergency Appeal we received a number of threats of this nature. We are an apolitical charity; we do not take sides in any conflict and simply act to help alleviate people's suffering. Unfortunately, due to the fact we have the word 'Islamic' in our name; we are often an easy target for certain racist and Islamaphobic groups and individuals.
"This despicable incident, which could have easily cost lives, has rightly been condemned by the whole community and by people of all faiths and none. We are genuinely humbled by everyone’s offers of support and we will be working around the clock to get normal service resumed."