A severed pig head’s gift basket was left outside a Quebec City mosque in Canada earlier this week.
A worshipper of the Islamic cultural centre in Ste-Foy discovered the special delivery as he was leaving in the early hours of the morning. Attached to the basket was a handwritten note with the phrase “Bon appétit.”
Below is a snapshot of the “gift” posted to the Centre’s Facebook page:
The incident, which city police are currently investigating as a hate crime, comes after the recent Paris, San Bernardino, and Orlando attacks carried out by people allegedly of the Islamic faith.
Head of the Centre, Mohamed Yangui, said, “It is a waste of time, money and energy. We have high-definition cameras. We will certainly find the person who did this.”
While some congregation members are saddened by the recent incident, Yangui is not bothered, and stands by his belief that his centre keeps a good reputation with the people of Quebec City.
He also added that this is not the first time his centre has experienced these type of attacks. In fact, mosques in Quebec City are targeted by anti-Muslim groups about once per year.
In 2014, the four mosques in the province were each vandalized over the course of one weekend. Rocks were thrown through one location’s windows, while the others were bombarded with xenophobic messages that read “Islam hors de chez moi” (Islam out of my country).
Ihsaan Gardee, who is the Executive Director of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, responded immediately by condemning the attacks.
He said in a written statement: “While these types of acts are hurtful, Canadian Muslims know they do not represent the views of the vast majority of their fellow citizens. We call on authorities to investigate these incidents as hate crimes so that a clear message is sent that these acts have no place in our communities.”
Since the pig head was reported, incidents similar to it have also occurred at the nearby mosques. Co-president of the Association of Muslims and Arabs for a Secular Quebec Haroun Bouazzi suggests that this is no coincidence.
Leaders from the four targeted mosques plan to meet soon, and discuss the situation and the affect it will have on the community, particularly during the holy month of Ramadan.
