Harun Nasrullah
Greater Manchester Police confirmed they are treating an incident in which a pig’s head was thrown through the window of a Muslim family’s home as a hate crime. The culprit first smashed the window of the house in Oldham with a brick.
Ghazala Kauser and her children were in the property in Chapel Road, Hollinwood, at the time. Hammas, aged 14, and Zeina, 6, were in the front room when the animal’s head was thrown into the lounge at about 10 pm on September 30.
The brick thrown through the windows missed Hammas by inches. Ayaz Mahmood, who was not home at the time, said his family had never experienced such incidents. “The only incident like this I have heard of was when bacon was left outside a mosque down south.”
He continues, “I was at work when I took a phone call from home and could hear hysterical screaming. It was not a nice experience, especially when your family are in the house. It’s strange and very disturbing. The kids are absolutely petrified. The glass was smashed first and then the head was thrown in straight afterwards.”
Police have established that a Vauxhall Corsa pulled up on the road with three men inside.
One of the men got out of the back seat and then hurled the brick and the pig’s head at the window. He was around 18-years-old and was wearing a black hoody that was pulled up over his head.
Detective Chief Inspector Chris Downey branded the incident “disgusting” and confirmed Oldham police Criminal Investigation Department is “treating this appalling incident as a hate crime.”
“The family were extremely shaken up by this and we have been out to see them to offer assurance that we will do everything in our power to track the offenders down,” he told The Muslim News in a statement.
“We have spoken to residents, carried out forensic work and have been reviewing CCTV, while officers will continue patrols in the area. I would ask anyone who knows anything about this attack to please call us. Maybe you saw the car in the area around that time? Any information you have, even if you think it is just a tiny detail, could really help us.”
