By Jonathan Blackburn
Copyright glasgowlive
Police have launched an investigation after reports that a schoolgirl was the victim of a hate crime on a Newton Mearns street.
A young Muslim girl was assaulted while walking home from Eastwood High School, according to a spokesperson for Newton Mearns Islamic Centre. The incident happened on Harvie Avenue around 4pm on Monday (September 8) and the spokesperson said a male attacked the girl and made threatening comments about Muslims.
Police are treating the incident as a hate crime and patrols have been stepped up in the area.
In a statement, Newton Mearns Islamic Centre said: “We understand that while a young Muslim schoolgirl was walking home from Eastwood High School she was assaulted by a male and he also made threatening comments against Muslims.
“In collaboration with East Renfrewshire Muslim Forum (ERMF), we have reached out to the family of the girl to offer our support. We have also contacted Police Scotland, local councillors/MP and the East Renfrewshire Council Director of Education to ensure full efforts are being made to investigate this incident and the individual concerned is identified and brought to justice.
“We are also concerned that a previous incident involving a 15-year-old girl took place on Harvie Avenue on 16 July 2024, therefore, we have also asked the relevant authorities to tell us what more can be done to protect school children and prevent any future incidents like this taking place. Furthermore, we need to make sure that Islamophobic incidents are treated as hate crimes and dealt with accordingly. A further update will be provided as information becomes available.
“In the meantime, we request parents and members of the community to be vigilant and report any incidents or suspicious behaviour to your nearest mosque. We will ensure every report is followed up and push for action to be taken.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Officers have received a report of a hate crime which happened near Harvie Avenue, Newton Mearns, Glasgow, around 4pm on Monday, 8 September, 2025.
“Enquiries are ongoing and officers will be carrying out increased patrols in the area.”
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