Ahmed Yusein, the deputy chairperson of the parliamentary human rights and religious committee, has requested an extraordinary meeting with Interior Minister Mihail Mikov about the recent spate of vandalism against mosques around the country.

Yusein was quoted by Dnevnik daily as saying that although Bulgarian Muslims have enjoyed harmonious relations with other religious groups for hundreds of years, the desecrations are a sign that Bulgarian society is not as tolerant as it is purported to be.

The criticism from the MP from Movement for Rights and Freedom (MRF) party was triggered by attacks on mosques in Pleven and Yambol where derogatory signs appeared on walls. Another arson attack, in Kazanluk, led to the partial destruction of a mosque. Several days ago, in Plovdiv, a man was brutally beaten up for praying in a mosque. No suspects have been detained or charged.

Yusein asked what would happen if in some regions of the country attacks begin to occur "the other way around". The MP also noted that no political party had officially condemned the attacks.

Members of the opposition argued that it was not necessary to come out with an official declaration after every incident and that certain institutions are responsible for dealing with these offences.

Others supported Yusein by saying that desecrating churches, mosques or graves was "absolutely unacceptable".

Ivan Sotirov, of the United Democratic Forces, has said that MRF itself creates the grounds for ethnic separation because it uses the ethnic vote for corporate purposes.