Forensic police hold a pig’s head outside a mosque in Kuala Lumpur today. — Reuters pic
By Syed Jaymal Zahiid and Lee Wei Lian - The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 —Pig heads were reported found at two separate mosques near here this morning and comes just days after about a dozen fire-bombing attacks and acts of vandalism were perpetrated on Churches and a Sikh temple in the wake of the “Allah” controversy.
Mosque officials found what appeared to be two wild boar heads wrapped in plastic bags and surrounded with Ringgit notes around 5.30 am this morning.
The two mosques in question are the Masjid Jumhuriyah in Taman Dato Harun and the Al- Imam Tirmizi mosque at Taman Sri Sentosa.
The heads of the wild boars could be construed as attempts to escalate unrest between Muslims and non-Muslims as pigs are considered unclean in Islam and therefore their presence in the mosques, an act of desecration.
Following the attacks on churches however, there was little tension between the various communities as a chorus of voices on both sides condemned the attacks and it is likely that it will be the same in this case.
No motives or suspects have surfaced so far but police and community leaders were on the scene.
Al-Imam Tirmizi mosque chief, Zulkifli Mohamed said that the heads were found by congregants going for their morning prayers, who thought at first that it was an abandoned baby.
“I am shocked by the incident as it is the first to happen to a Wilayah mosque. I plead for people to remain calm and don’t speculate but wait for police to complete their investigations,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
PKR’s MP for Petaling Jaya Selatan, Hee Loy Sian which is the constituency where Masjid Jumhuriyah is located said that the case was unusual as many RM1 notes were scattered around the plastic bags containing the boar heads.
He also noted the sensitivity of the location of the mosque as Taman Datuk Harun is near where the infamous Taman Medan racial clashes took place in 2001.
“I hope this is not related to the Allah issue and that the police find the people behind it. I also hope that Muslims can be patient,” he told The Malaysian Insider after visiting the mosque compound.
Selangor Police Chief Khalid Abu Bakar also confirmed the incident at Masjid Jumhuriyah but mosque official Hazelaihi Mohd Abdullah could not be contacted at press time.
PKR Vice president Sivarasa Rasiah who visited both mosques said it looked to him like an organised operation that was an attempt to incite racial tension.
“I am not surprised if the same group that did this is the same group that attacked the churches. This group clearly has political motivations,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
Meanwhile the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan called for calm.
“I have directed that extra patrols be conducted at places of worship throughout the country.
“We will not compromise as far as peace and security is concerned and will do everything within our means to ensure no untoward incident happens,” he said.
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