Islam is the fastest-growing religion, and the second largest one, under Christianity, according to Pew Research. You'd think that with roughly 1.5 billion Muslims in the world, we'd be able to live with them in peace, and respect their way of life. Yet there are still people who hold prejudices against Muslims, judging them as a whole from the actions of a few extremists. And there are still people who mock their religion, and commit stupid acts of hate.
In a shocking Facebook video, two women laugh as they put bacon on the door of the Madina Mosque in Oldham, England. Under Islamic practice, Muslims are forbidden to eat pork, because it is considered unhealthy, harmful, and impure. (The only exception to the rule being if they are starving, and no other food is available.) You might look at pigs and think "Mmmm, delicious bacon." But Muslims look at pigs and think, "Scavengers that roll around in the dirt, and their own feces." So, leaving meat from a pig at the door of an Islamic place of worship is pretty offensive.
In the four-minute video, two women, who appear to be drinking alcohol, declare they are going on a "mission." One of them rolls on the ground, laughing, referring to a "surprise" stashed under her baseball cap. The other one jokes,"you get arrested if you put bacon on the door." Her friend agrees, "We are going to get f***ing arrested." The obnoxious women make their way to the mosque, and are challenged by a worshipper. The pair pretends not to know the building is a mosque, and "apologize" for their "bad sins." Then the footage shows the woman in the camouflage parka leave bacon at the mosque's back door. The pair flee the scene, laughing hysterically.
After the footage spread on social media, Grand Manchester Police stated they are investigating the incident, which took place in September. A spokesperson claimed the attack was "dealt with at the time." Leaders at the mosque have responded by stepping up security and installing a fence around the perimeter. "It’s shocking, absolutely shocking," Dara Miah, general secretary of Madina Mosque, told Metro. "We need to respect places of worship."
"The (video footage) came to light yesterday," she explained. "We have reported the incident to police. The police have been very cooperative. We have advised the local community to not take any action in their hands. We have had the whole perimeter of the mosque fenced off. We have got CCTV already installed. Worshippers who come to the mosque were angry. It’s very important to raise awareness, not just for our mosque but for other places of worship."
We've seen somewhat similar stunts before, a couple grilling hot dogs in front of an animal rights protest, a man eating a bloody steak in front of a vegan food festival. But when a religion is being mocked, and a place of worship is befouled, it's more offensive than funny. As they say, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.