EARLIER this year, passages from the Koran were read out at St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Glasgow. The idea was to promote inter-faith tolerance, but the provost of the cathedral, Kelvin Holdsworth, became the target of abusive messages. Some of them were so alarming that Mr Holdsworth felt he had no choice but to call in the police.

As the provost himself admits, there was a time when the police might have not taken the idea of hate crime seriously – indeed, Mr Holdsworth, who is gay, remembers this happening when he received hate mail in the past. But it looks like times have changed. Speaking to The Herald, Mr Holdsworth says Police Scotland have taken the islamophobic and homophobic abuse seriously and are following up a number of possible prosecutions.

This is undoubtedly good news and a reflection of how attitudes on hate crime are changing. Sadly, however, the change in attitudes has not been accompanied by any real improvement in the incidence of hate crime. The number of criminal charges for hate crimes against Muslims in Scotland almost doubled in 2015-16; there were also significant increases in charges related to sexuality and disability.

The numbers involved are small, but the case of St Mary’s is a reminder of the work that still needs to be done. A review of Scotland’s hate crime legislation is underway, but the failure of the Scottish Government’s law on offensive behaviour at football games is an indication that a rush to legislation is not necessarily the answer.

What is needed instead is much more change at community level. Pupils need to be taught more about what is acceptable online; everyone needs to be encouraged to report prejudice or abuse when they see it. And, as Mr Holdsworth says, more religious organisations need to facilitate inter-faith understanding.

The reading of the Koran at St Mary’s may have led to a wave of abuse and hate. But in talking to and cooperating with other faiths, churches and mosques have the power to change attitudes in the long term. It would be good for religious organisations, but it would be good for society too.