Philly mosque ‘overwhelmed’ with support after pig head incident

Just days after an apparent anti-Muslim attack at a local mosque, neighbors andcommunity members haveresponded to the incident with a huge display of support.

Since Wednesday, the Al AqsaIslamic Society of Philadelphia has received huge quantities offlowers, candy, and cakes in a show of support for the mosque that was attacked by an unknown individual earlier this week.

“It’s overwhelming,in a good way,” said Marwan Kreidie, executive director of the Arab American Development Corporation and spokesman for Al Aqsa, where the corporation has offices located.

“It’s amazing how many calls and messages we are getting from people, even fromCalifornia and Australia,” he said.”It reaffirms your faith in humanity.”

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Philadelphia Police have reported no developments in the investigation into who threw a severed pig’s head out of a speeding red pickup truck early Monday at the door of Al Aqsa.

Since the incident, Mayor Michael Nutter held a press conference to condemn the incident, and then the flow of gifts began.

“We knew that those perpetrators aren’t our neighbors, it wasn’t from the community,” Kreidie said. “There’s hate all over, but its nice to see all this great support.”

Al Aqsa is inviting its neighbors to a community barbecue on 3 p.m. this Saturday, Kreidie said.