AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Muslims in Contrexeville in Vosges found a severed boar head next to the mosque on Friday, in a new Islamophobic act targeting the Muslim community in France.
ollowing the incident, French authorities launched an immediate investigation, as confirmed by the public prosecutor of Epinal, according to a report from Le Parisien.
Leaving a pig's head at a mosque is not only a form of vandalism or intimidation but also a deliberate act to desecrate a sacred space and provoke religious offense as bigs are considered impure animals in Islam.
According to reports, the head was stumbled upon by worshippers at the Attawba mosque, situated north of the town.
The timing of the act adds to its gravity. The boar head was placed near the mosque during Ramadan, the holiest month for Muslims around the world, which is marked by fasting, prayers, and communal gatherings.
The disturbing event is not an isolated occurrence. A few weeks earlier, another pig’s head was found at the doorstep of a Turkish mosque in Saint-Omer, Pas-de-Calais.
The incident, which unfolded on the eve of Ramadan, sparked widespread outrage and led to the filing of a formal complaint.
In the wake of the Islamophobic acts, the city of Saint-Omer expressed its strong condemnation, reaffirming that the freedom to practice one’s religion is a cornerstone of democracy.
Security measures around places of worship have been increased in light of the incidents.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin denounced the acts as “unacceptable” and expressed solidarity with the Muslim community.
“This weekend, the mosques in Valenciennes and Fresnes-sur-Escaut were vandalized. A mosque in the Vosges was also targeted. I strongly condemn these unacceptable acts against our Muslim compatriots,” he wrote in a post on X.
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