Nil by Mouth campaigns to highlight the damage caused by sectarianism and put the issue firmly on the social and political agendas. This has stimulated much comment and debate on the subject in the media and in wider society…

Jack McConnell, Scotland's First Minister, said: "Modern Scotland must challenge bigoted attitudes and bigoted behaviour wherever they are found. I want Scotland to be a society where we respect cultural differences and celebrate our rich and diverse religious traditions. I want all Scots to be proud of the Scotland we have today.

"We need to put sectarianism in the dustbin of history. Scotland must play a full part in Europe and the global economy, so we cannot allow ourselves to be dragged down by the deadweight of religious hatred and sectarian bigotry"

Mary Robinson, the former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights:"Every society maintains an invisible life where attitudes and assumptions are formed. Every society is hostage to this unseen place where fear conquers reason and old attitudes remain entrenched. It is here that chance phrases and small asides are made, which say so little and reveal so much. If we are to go forward, we have to look at attitudes and the language which expresses attitudes"

Ivan Middleton, secretary of the Humanist Society of Scotland: "I think you will find that there are wealthy people in Glasgow, who have gone through the separate schooling system, who hold sectarian views. There are quite a few people who go along to both Ibrox and Parkhead in expensive cars, who are at least condoning the sectarian chanting that goes on at football matches by their presence"

Steve Bruce, professor of sociology at Aberdeen University: : "I think sectarianism is largely about hooliganism, and the ghastly behaviour that is regarded as acceptable among a certain kind of young working class male, who thinks that a sensible thing to do is to get absolutely tanked up, take lots of drugs, carry a sharp weapon and if for any reason you disagree with anybody about anything, or dislike the colour of their face or their hair, you attack them"

Donald Gorrie, Liberal Democrat member of the Scottish Parliament:"This issue is a complicated cocktail of historical antagonism, fuelled by economic anger from one sector who feared losing jobs to the new Irish immigrants, differing forms of nationalism, football loyalties and religious difference. This cocktail permeates through all classes and is not confined to people who are poor"

Mario Conti, Archbishop of Glasgow: "Over the last year I have been asked time and time again about the cancer of sectarianism. It is clearly related to poverty. The bullies and fanatics who engage in sectarian behaviour must be left in no doubt that their activities have no justification in the name of true religion"

Cara Henderson, founder, Nil by Mouth: "In order to treat sectarianism in Scotland we must reach some sort of understanding of how it is that we - we as a particular society and we as a particular people - have come to be and act in a certain way. It is only by understanding that we can ever hope to break that emotionally degenerative and socially destructive cycle of blame. For blame is a scapegoat. Blame means that prejudice is someone else's fault, someone else's problem and that way everyone escapes responsibility. A blame culture reinforces the "them and us" mentality which helps to incubate prejudice. It is only when a society, in this case Scottish society, collectively moves towards facing up to and assuming responsibility for the ongoing cycle of ignorance, fear and prejudice that to varying degrees shapes all of its members, that this cycle can ever be broken. Collective responsibility at a societal level must however begin at a personal level and therein lies the Nil by Mouth story and the Nil by Mouth philosophy"

What is YOUR view on sectarianism?