Marwan Kreidie, executive director of the Arab American Development Corp., which is in charge of the al-Aqsa Islamic Society building in Kensington neighborhood, North Philadelphia, said the incident took place about 11 pm Sunday, and was caught on the building's security camera.
According to the surveillance footage, a red truck drove past the al-Aqsa mosque and one of its passengers threw an object out of the window.
The object turned out to be a severed pig’s head, after a caretaker discovered it early Monday.
"They are investigating it as a hate crime, which it is,” said Kreidie.
He noted that the individual behind insult knew that in Muslim culture pork is considered haram (forbidden or proscribed by Islamic law) and therefore is not part of a Muslim individual's diet.
"Let's hope this doesn't escalate," he said. "It could be a bomb next time."
Philadelphia Mayor-elect Jim Kenney also reacted to the insult, denouncing it as an act of bigotry.
