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Courtesy of Al-Aqsa Islamic Society.

Cooked pig's head thrown at N. Philadelphia mosque

Surveillance video at the mosque captured the incident on the 1500 block of Germantown Avenue.

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Late Sunday evening, a red pickup truck rolled past Al-Aqsa Islamic Society mosque and an unknown person threw a “cooked pig’s head” toward the building.

Surveillance video at the mosque captured the incident on the 1500 block of Germantown Avenue.

The mosque’s caretaker Nabil Ibrahim Khalil discovered the animal’s head early Monday morning as he opened the facilities. He didn’t think it was a big deal and disposed of the item.

Marwan Kreidie, director of the Arab American Community Development Corporation, works from his office inside of Al-Aqsa. He was a little more concerned, and quickly informed the authorities.

“In one way a lot of people think — which I think is hilarious — that pig is like kryptonite for Muslims. It’s not going to cause anyone to disappear or go to hell. But it's obviously a hate crime in a lot of ways, because it’s done to promote fear against a group. This person was making a statement against a religious group.”

Pigs are considered an unclean animal in Islam. Many Muslims observe halal dietary practices that forbid consumption of pork.

The Philadelphia Police Department have obtained video from Al-Aqsa and are still investigating.

Kreidie also informed the FBI of the incident, concerned that it was fueled by spike in “anti-Muslim rhetoric” in the wake of the Paris terror attacks.

“People are a little worried. Could this guy be throwing a pipe bomb next? Who knows?” Kreidie told AL DÍA Monday.

Leaders at the mosque said they were confident whoever did this was “not from the neighborhood,” but they are waiting for the authorities to discover who did it.

This is a developing story.
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