EDINBURGH CENTRAL MOSQUE VANDALISED WITH ISLAMOPHOBIC GRAFFITI

Edinburgh Central Mosque.

Mon 19 January 2026:

Unidentified individuals were seen vandalising Edinburgh Central Mosque in Scotland on Friday, spraying an Islamophobic message with red paint on the outside wall which read “leave Scotland” and “get out of Scotland.”

Police in Scotland are investigating the incident as a potential hate crime after members of the local Muslim community reported seeing two young men vandalising the mosque with “hate graffiti” at about 9:45-10 pm on Friday evening.

The graffiti, painted in red spray paint, said “leave Scotland” and “get out of Scotland” and was sprayed on the back side of the mosque where a carpark is located.

Students from the Islamic Society at the University of Edinburgh, located just across the street from the mosque, reported the incident to mosque officials as they had watched the men plaster the red graffiti on the mosque walls.

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The mosque released a statement reacting to the incident, stating that they were “deeply saddened and concerned by this act. Incidents of this nature cause distress not only to the Muslim community, but to all who value peace, dignity, and mutual respect.”

“We pray for the safety and wellbeing of our community, and for all those affected by acts of hatred and intimidation. This act does not reflect the Edinburgh we know and love,” the statement added.

“Our city is defined by diversity, compassion, and strong community bonds, and we remain confident that these shared values will prevail over division and hostility.”

*Graffiti on the mosque. Photos by 5Pillars and supplied by local congregants.*

As of Sunday January 18, one of the racist remarks have been covered with white paint, whilst the other graffiti, reading “leave Scotland” has yet to be covered up.

Police received the reports of vandalism on Potterrow on January 16. The mosque, which can accommodate up to 1,250 worshippers said they would be “cooperating fully with the investigation.”

The mosques statement concluded, saying: “We will continue to be a place of worship, welcome, and service to the wider community, grounded in dignity, compassion, and kindness.

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “Around 12:25pm on Saturday 17 January, 2026, we received a report of vandalism to a building in the Potterow area of Edinburgh, It’s believed the incident happened around 9:30pm on Friday 16 January. Officers are carrying out enquiries to establish the full circumstances.”

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Islamophobia in Scotland

Scotland, just like other parts of the UK, has been experiencing an increase in Islamophobic hate crimes targeting mosques.

Similarly, Glasgow Central Mosque was also targeted with racist far-right graffiti reading “Scots First” in October 2025, to which the mosque released a statement saying it was “deeply upset.”

In recent weeks, two men were also charged with a series of offences after allegedly threatening worshippers at the Kirkcaldy Islamic Centre on Boxing Day 2025.

In September last year, an attacker threw a metal pole through the window of Masjid Yusuf in East Renfrewshire during a children’s class.

And a Scottish neo-Nazi white supremacist teenager was jailed for ten years in August following a terror plot to burn down Inverclyde Muslim centre while Muslim worshippers were praying inside.

By Alen Bašić

This article is republished from 5Pillars. Read the original article.