New York police hunt man who set fire to Scottish Muslim woman's dress

Campaigners say it is part of an alarming pattern of attacks on Muslims and Islamic sites

New York Police say a Muslim woman whose traditional clothing was set alight in a suspected hate crime was a Scottish tourist visiting Manhattan.

The attack happened on Fifth Avenue as she returned to her hotel from sightseeing, said a police source.

She felt something warm on her arm and saw a man with a cigarette lighter, according to the police complaint, but was able to pat down the flame and suffered no injury.

“She was visiting from Scotland but we cannot say more than that,” said a police officer, adding that the case had been passed to the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force.

One local report identified the woman as a dentist from Glasgow.

The attack took place on Saturday and no-one has been arrested. Police have footage of the incident and have appealed to the public for help.

It comes as race relations and the treatment of religious minorities are under intense scrutiny during a torrid period of election campaigning.

Social justice activists fear the rise of Donald Trump is the symptom - or cause - of a less tolerant society.

The latest attack comes soon after a Brooklyn woman allegedly beat two Muslim women as they walked with pushchairs.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations described the incident as part of an alarming pattern of attacks on Muslims and Islamic sites in recent months.

“We are clearly seeing a spike in attacks on individual Muslims and Islamic institutions in New York and around the country, which should be of concern to all Americans,” said Afaf Nasher, director of the group’s New York chapter, in a statement posted on Facebook.

“It is time for the mayor and the NYPD to put forward the necessary resources to investigate and prevent these attacks on the Muslim community.”