PHILADELPHIA — The caretaker at a Philadelphia mosque found a severed pig’s head outside on Monday morning, and police were investigating whether someone may have thrown it out a car window.
%22The%20bigotry%20that%20desecrated%20Al-Aqsa%20mosque%20today%20has%20no%20place%20in%20Philadelphia.%20The%20City%20of%20Brotherly%20Love%20and%20Sisterly%20Affection%20has%20a%20long%20history%20of%20coming%20together%20in%20the%20face%20of%20challenge.%22′
The caretaker told police he found the head on the sidewalk near the door of the Al Aqsa Islamic Society when he arrived around 6 a.m. Monday. Police investigators said surveillance video shows someone throwing an object from the passenger window of a red pickup as it drove past the mosque Sunday night.
The Quran, the holy book of Islam, prohibits Muslims from eating pork, and pigs have been used to taunt or offend Muslims. Last year, attackers in Greece placed a severed pig’s head and painted anti-Muslim slogans outside an Islamic studies center in Athens.
The incident in Philadelphia was condemned by Mayor-elect Jim Kenney. “The bigotry that desecrated Al-Aqsa mosque today has no place in Philadelphia. The City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection has a long history of coming together in the face of challenge,” Kenney said in a statement Monday night.
Associated Press Recommended
