JAGINDER Bassi, the director of the Racial Equality Council in Swindon, has called for calm after a Swindon mosque was vandalised.

As reported in yesterday's late edition of the Advertiser, Idris Nawab, the Imam at the Broad Street mosque, believes the building was targeted in response to the recent row over cartoons satirising the Muslim prophet Muhammad.

Three windows were smashed at the mosque on Tuesday night.

Mr Bassi fears some people in Swindon will now try to capitalise on the recent events to stir up trouble.

The far-right British National Party is already trying to take advantage and has provocatively called it a clash of civilisations.

Mr Bassi, who shares Mr Nawab's belief that the attack was a result of the recent row, said: "We call upon all members of the public, black and white, ethnic minority or non-ethnic minority, to show more tolerance towards each other.

"I think too much has been in the national media of recent events and I suspect this is a reprisal.

"I am not totally surprised, bearing in mind that the mosque was attacked last year.

"It's very unsettling for the people who use the mosque and for the local neighbourhood in terms of there being elements trying to stir up racial hatred."

Police have appealed for anyone with information on the damage to come forward and say they are treating the crime as racially motivated.

The controversial cartoons were first published in Denmark and have triggered angry protests throughout the Muslim world.

Islamic tradition prohibits images of Muhammad and some Muslims believe the cartoons are deliberately offensive, expressing a growing European hostility towards Muslims.

Last month Michael Matthews, 17, of Helston Road, Park North, was jailed for a year after starting a fire at the Broad Street mosque.

And Mr Bassi said he hoped that the police would succeed in finding the latest culprit.

Azim Khan, the man voted Personality Of The Year by Advertiser readers for his work to help survivors of the Pakistan earthquake, was one of the first to discover the vandalism.

He said: "This is the second time this mosque has been targeted.

" I'm so angry, it makes me really sick.

"What are they going to achieve with this?

"It's a lot of work for nothing. Everyone that came here this morning was shocked and surprised by it."

Anyone with information on the vandalism should call PC David Johnson on 0845 408 7000.