Severed pig’s head thrown at US mosque door

Philadelphia Mayor-elect Jim Kenney decries what he called an act of bigotry

US authorities are investigating an incident in which a pig's head was thrown at a mosque in Philadelphia early on Monday morning, as worries grew over a rise in Islamophobia after a Muslim couple killed 14 people at a holiday party in California.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is examining the incident, spokesperson Carrie Adamowski said on Tuesday.



Philadelphia Mayor-elect Jim Kenney decried what he called an act of bigotry. "We cannot allow hate to divide us now, in the face of unprecedented difficulties," he said in a statement.

Surveillance video showed a red truck driving past the Al-Aqsa mosque in North Philadelphia on Sunday night and someone throwing an object from the window, police said.

A caretaker discovered the pig's head early on Monday, they said.

A mosque spokesperson called it a “hate motivated” act. Pork is not religiously sanctioned by Islamic law and is considered a non-halal food item.

"It’s just a pig’s head — that’s not a big deal; but it does send a message,” said mosque spokesperson and Arab American Development Corporation Director Marwan Kreidie. “I think people are worried that if they do a pig’s head, they could do something more violent in the future.”

Further, a manager at Philadelphia’s Al-Aqsa Islamic Society said the mosque received a voicemail last month that alluded to the Paris attacks, according to police. “Are you happy about what happened in France?” the male voice stated.

However, the incident was however reported to local and federal authorities. When questioned on whether the incident was being investigated as a possible hate crime, a Philadelphia Police Department spokesperson said, "As of now, it’s under investigation with an unknown motive. Once that determination has been made, I will follow up and let you know.”



“This vandalism of a sacred space comes in the midst of an election cycle that has given us the most public attacks on an American minority in living memory,” Jacob Bender, executive director of the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said.

“Attacks upon American Muslims should be, and must be, the responsibility of all Americans to condemn,” he added.

A potential witness was also interviewed by police on Monday. “We’ve got to be involved,” an officer said. “If they get away doing something like that, they are going to up the ante.”

Philadelphia Mayor-elect Jim Kenney called on the people of his city to join him “in rejecting this despicable act and supporting our Muslim neighbours.”

Further, he said, “The bigotry that desecrated Al-Aqsa mosque today has no place in Philadelphia."

The incident could be a violation of the city’s ordinance on ethnic intimidation and institutional vandalism, Rue Landau, executive director of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, also said.



As investigation is underway, the complex is said to be under increased protection. It is not believed that anyone from the surrounding community was responsible for throwing the pig's head and the particular mosque hasn't been targeted in the past, even after 9/11.

There has been increased hostility towards Muslims and many Muslims in America have reported feeling or experiencing growing anti-Muslim sentiment, particularly since the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino.

Muslims have also taken centre-stage in the political arena with Republican candidate Donald Trump openly calling for the surveillance of mosques and requiring Muslims to register on a database.



In his more recent remarks, Trump called for barring Muslims from entering the United States. A statement from Trump’s campaign team said the halt on Muslims entering the country should remain in place “until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.”

Many took to Twitter to condemn the incident:

While it's not cool to throw a pig's head at a mosque, if the FBI investigates it as a "hate crime," isn't it enforcing Islamic law?

— ¡El SooperMexican! ن c137 🦬 (@SooperMexican) December 8, 2015

https://twitter.com/ECentauri/status/674365632536813568

https://twitter.com/alivelutheran/status/674386984127762433

https://twitter.com/peddoc63/status/674390359015755776

Trump’s Rhetoric Takes Hold: Pig’s Head Found On Doorsteps Of Philadelphia Mosque (VIDEO) https://t.co/V9lyHWsR9q

— Matthew Desmond (@TheGOPisBad) December 9, 2015

https://twitter.com/DRUDGE_REPORT/status/674215963856789505

This article originally appeared on The Washington Post