Philadelphia Mayor-Elect Condemns alleged Hate Crime after a Pig’s Head is thrown at a Mosque

By Cheri Cheng - 08 Dec '15 13:58PM

The police in Philadelphia are looking into a potential hate crime case after a severed pig's head was thrown at a mosque on Sunday night. The investigation will be carried out with the help of the city's Human Relations Commission and the FBI.

"We've got to be involved," Officer Pete Berndlmaier of the 26th District commented reported by Philly.com. "If they get away doing something like that, they are going to up the ante."

Shortly after news surfaced, Philadelphia Mayor-elect Jim Kenney condemned the incident, stating, "The City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection has a long history of coming together in the face of challenge. We cannot allow hate to divide us now in the face of unprecedented difficulties. I ask all Philadelphians to join me in rejecting this despicable act and supporting our Muslim neighbors."

Based on video surveillance, a red pick up truck had driven by the Al Aqsa Islamic Society located in Northern Philadelphia twice before someone hurled the pig's head at the footsteps of the door no later than 11 p.m. In the Islamic Culture, pigs are considered to be unclean. The pig's head was found at around 6 a.m. on Monday by an employee.

The people inside of the truck were not captured on camera. The license plate was also fuzzy but could possibly be enhanced using technology.

Rue Landau with the City's Commission on Human Relations described the incident as "a heinous act that sends a message to Arab American communities that they are not wanted here in Philadelphia, and that could not be further from the truth."

Mosque spokesman and Arab American Development Corp. Director Marwan Kreidie, said, "It's just a pig's head - that's not a big deal; but it does send a message. I think people are worried that if they do a pig's head, they could do something more violent in the future."

The incident occurred after tensions have continued to rise. Last week, a radicalized married couple killed 14 people in San Bernardino, CA.