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Condemnation after pigs' heads found at Belfast church

Two pigs' heads with racist slogans were dumped outside St Luke's Church in west Belfast. Picture by Kevin Scott/Presseye
Two pigs' heads with racist slogans were dumped outside St Luke's Church in west Belfast. Picture by Kevin Scott/Presseye Two pigs' heads with racist slogans were dumped outside St Luke's Church in west Belfast. Picture by Kevin Scott/Presseye

A LEADING Northern Ireland Muslim has said Belfast's Islamic Centre is "not interested" in buying a Protestant church targeted by racists who left pigs' heads outside the building.

There has been shock after racist slogans were painted on the animal heads before being dumped at St Luke’s Church on Northumberland Street, near Belfast's Shankill Road.

The Church of Ireland building is for sale and has been at the centre of rumours on social media that it had been bought by members of the Belfast Islamic community for a new mosque.

But Dr Raied Al-Wazzan, a former leading member of the Islamic Centre, said the rumours were "definitely untrue".

"The Islamic Centre is not interested in the church, definitely not," he said.

"They have never even viewed it, it doesn't suit us.

"The people who have done this don't represent the community they live in.

"It is disgusting what has been done and there is no place for this in a civilised community."

A spokesman for the Church of Ireland Diocese of Connor also said it was "completely untrue that St Luke's has been sold".

"Any sale would only take place after a process involving the select vestry, diocesan council and representative church body," he said.

"The highly distasteful act which has taken place is profoundly saddening."

The pigs' heads, which are offensive to Muslims who consider the animal unclean and are forbidden from eating pork, were found at the door of the building on October 24.

Police are treating it as a "race hate incident".

Unionist representatives for the area have also denied St Luke's, which has lain empty since 2006, will become a mosque.

William Humphrey of the DUP said: "Whilst the building is up for sale, the building is not sold and so the building remains part of the Church of Ireland estate and in fact is being used today (Saturday) for a community event.

"Those behind this don’t think of those things and probably weren't aware that the building was going to be used today - this is a mindless attack by people who have just simply not established the facts."

PUP leader Billy Hutchinson said: "The incident highlights the dangers of rumour and speculation and also reinforces the need for further education to challenge negative attitudes towards people from other backgrounds.

"We cannot be complacent about intolerance.

"This is not only an attack on people of other cultures, but it is also an attack on this church building itself, which still remains in the ownership of the Church of Ireland."

Sinn Féin's Fra McCann said: "All places of worship should be treated with respect. The fact that anti-Islamic slogans were written the pigs' heads makes this all the more sinister and disgusting".

The SDLP's Alex Attwood said: "Hate and intolerance should have no space in our community and those responsible should have no hiding place on our streets."