Police officers are investigating a complaint made by a Muslim family after pigs’ heads were left in their garden.
Senior police officers in Bradford are reviewing the complaint made by Sophia Ditta’s family after four pig heads were dumped in their garden. Mrs Ditta revealed how her family found the four swine heads outside their home in Bolton, Bradford.
A member of the community who knows the family told 5 Pillarz: “The family are distraught and disgusted with the findings on their property. There is no doubt that the pig heads, swine meat being prohibited in Islam were intentionally left there to cause racial and religious tension.”
Bradford South Police said they were treating the incident as a hate crime.
Bradford East MP, David Ward, has raised the issue with Divisional Commander of Bradford South Police, Chief Superintendent Simon Atkin. Mr Ward met Mrs Ditta after she contacted him to raise awareness and voiced concerns about the police handling of the case.
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Mr Ward said: “It is shocking to hear that some families have been targeted in such a disgusting way. No one should have to suffer because of their faith or race. I have met with the Divisional Commander, who shares my sentiments that this was not handled well, and he has told me that they will be reviewing this.”
Mrs Ditta said: “My family have lived in Bradford for more than 60 years and have never had this type of racism thrown at us. It is clearly a reaction to the awful murder of the soldier in Woolwich. I’m disappointed with the police’s systematic reaction to this racial harassment. The officers were sympathetic, but they clearly have a lack of resources to do anything which means this type of attack falls way below their list of priorities. I don’t blame any of the officers; I blame the systems they are being forced to work to.
“I want to raise awareness about this harassment and let other people in the community know that they do not have to suffer in silence if they have been victims of racial harassment.”
Woolwich murder
Islamophobic attacks across Britain have significantly increased since the Woolwich murder. Mosques have been torched, vandalised and a bomb was even planted in a mosque in Walsall.
Two mosques were attacked on the day of the Woolwich incident in Braintree, Essex and Gillingham, Kent. A mosque in Grimsby was fire bombed within days of the murder of British soldier, Lee Rigby and Al Rahma Islamic Centre in Muswell Hill, North London was torched to the ground with “EDL” written on its walls.
A mosque in Milton Keynes was also fire bombed in the week of the Woolwich attack and a Muslim cemetery was vandalised with Islamophobic remarks and swastikas in Wales last week.
Local resident, Shahid Iqbal said to 5 Pillarz: “The Islamophobic backlash on Muslims since the Woolwich attack has been unprecedented. Our women, children and places of worship aren’t safe. This sickening incident of pigs’ heads being left at a Muslim family’s home is just disgraceful. Muslim communities up and down the country are on the back foot and are living in fear for one man’s crime.”
Chief Superintendent Atkin said: “I visited David Ward about an unrelated matter and during that visit he understandably raised his concerns over this issue. I have since asked the Neighbourhood Policing Chief Inspector to look into the circumstances of how this matter was dealt with to ensure that a comprehensive and thorough investigation has, and still is, being undertaken and to also ascertain if there are any lessons we need to learn as individuals or as an organization. Such a review is not unusual.”
