It is understood to have been logged as a hate crime by police (Picture: MEN Media)
Members of a Muslim community centre fear a hate crime after a pig’s head was thrown onto the roof of their mosque.
The animal’s corpse was discovered at around 9.15pm on Friday night at the Heatons Muslims Community Trust (HMCT) building in Heaton Mersey, Stockport, Greater Manchester.
It was easily visible from a low, flat part of the building’s roof and is understand to have been logged by the police as an Islamophobic hate crime.
HMCT trustee, Muhammad Tayyab Mohiuddin, said: ‘In the evening we have a bit of a gathering at the community centre and some people came out and someone said “there’s a pigs head on the roof”.
‘It’s a short roof so it was easy to see. I think they have picked that point in order to terrify people. Everyone knows someone has placed it there and what their intentions were.
‘In our religion, we are not allowed to eat pig’s meat or handle it in any way so someone has done it specifically for that reason.
‘We have a lot of elderly people and a lot of children who use the centre and obviously they are a bit terrified that someone is targeting us and fear in the future someone could go further or take a wrong step.’
He added the centre, which is around a decade old, has never had any problems except two burglaries in the past year, which has seen a TV and donation box stolen.
The animal’s corpse was found at the Heatons Muslims Community Trust (HMCT) building in Heaton Mersey, Stockport, Greater Manchester (Picture: MEN Media)
Mr Mohiuddin said CCTV footage showed a car pulling up and two people getting out. One of them was carrying a bin bag.
He added the registration plate was caught on camera so they hope police will be able to find who did it.
The HMCT said in a statement there was a ‘pig’s head placed on the roof, in what looks like a hate crime’.
‘Unfortunately, this behaviour is not a one-off occurrence,’ they added.
‘In survey data released earlier this year, by Muslim Census and MEND (Muslim Engagement and Development), it was reported that almost half (42%) of Mosques or Islamic institutions surveyed have experienced religiously motivated attacks in the last three years.
‘17% of mosques from the 42% reported having faced physical abuse directed at staff or worshippers, including the stabbing of a muezzin (one who gives the call to prayer) in 2020.
‘The HMCT asks local residents and worshippers to remain vigilant and report any hate to the police.’
Greater Manchester Police has been contacted for comment by Metro.co.uk.
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It is understood to have been logged as a hate crime by police.
