A Scottish woman wearing a hijab was set on fire while shopping on Fifth Avenue in New York, according to police in the US.

The 35-year-old, believed to be a dentist from Glasgow, had her blouse set alight by a man with a lighter in Manhattan, according to the New York City Police Department.

The assault took place on Saturday 10, on the eve of 9/11.

Officers investigating the incident are treating it as a hate crime.

The woman, named by American media outlets as Nemariq Al-Hinai, saw that her blouse was on fire before patting out the flame. When she looked up, she noticed a man with a lighter in his hand and watched him disappear down a side-street.

Christopher Pisano, a spokesman for the NYPD told the Washington Post the woman had no injuries but was left with a 'quater sized hole' in her clothes.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations said the incident is one of many as a pattern of attacks on Muslims and Islamic sites has increased.

A spokesperson said: “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.”

Mazhar Khan, a spokesman for the Scottish Muslim Council, condemned the attack.

He said: "Any incident like this is something we would wholeheartedly condemn.

"This is something political leaders in America need to be aware of as there have been a number of incidents similar to this which are very alarming.

"It needs to be a safer place to live in for not just Muslims but for all minorities."

A Scottish Government spokeswoman called on people with information about the assault to contact the New York Police Department.

She said: "This must have been a very frightening incident.

"The Scottish Government condemns all hate crime and hopes anyone with information about this assault contacts the NYPD."