Two severed pig heads left outside Islamic school in UK

Police say they are investigating incident as a 'hate crime'

The severed heads of two pigs were left outside an Islamic school in England in a move which is being described as a hate crime.

One of the heads was thrown over the fence of Markazul Uloom boarding school in Blackburn, Lancashire, while the second was found by the school gate.



Police said they are investigating the incident as a “hate crime.” "This is being treated extremely seriously and we understand the concern that incidents like this, while thankfully rare, can cause in the community," Blackburn Police Chief Inspector Sheena Tattum said.

"An investigation is underway to identify those responsible and a team of detectives are carrying out numerous inquiries," the inspector added.

Further, she said, "We have carried out house to house inquiries in the area and done a search through CCTV and we would appeal for anyone who has any information which could assist the investigation to get in touch with us.”



In a similar incident in US, a pig’s head was thrown at a mosque in Philadelphia as worries continue to grow over a rise in Islamophobia; following the San Bernardino attack which left 14 people dead.

While in another shocking incident, torn pages of the Holy Quran were found at the door of a mosque in an Austin suburb in Texas.

Anti-Muslim sentiment has spiked in the west after the Paris attacks last month that left at least 128 dead, followed by the California shooting by a Muslim couple.



Recent remarks by Republican front-runner Donald Trump have also aided in the growing anti-Muslim rhetoric. Among his several anti-Muslim statements, Trump called for the barring of all Muslims from the United States.

Many took to Twitter to condemn the incident.

Two pigs' heads have been found at an Islamic school in Blackburn, and police are treating it as a hate crime.https://t.co/wTPKAt6Quh

— Shoaib M Khan (@ShoaibMKhan) December 21, 2015

https://twitter.com/OmarWaraich/status/679097343229173761

https://twitter.com/roqchams/status/679139320024997892

Hate crime against Muslims is rising and the government is doing nothing serious to stop it...... https://t.co/Am0jU9nXvM

— Adnan Rashid (@MrAdnanRashid) December 22, 2015

Two Pigs' Heads Found At Islamic School In UK | @scoopit https://t.co/971J6J98dH

— Ivan Humble (@NewDayStarts) December 22, 2015

'SHOCKING': Outrage after two pigs heads dumped at Blackburn Islamic schoolhttps://t.co/EdrbcTCTE9 pic.twitter.com/kkh0qpbmMv

— Lancashire Telegraph (@lancstelegraph) December 22, 2015

This article originally appeared on BBC.