Manitoba Islamic Association concerned meat left on windshield was show of hate

A Winnipeg Muslim man is concerned a slab of meat left his car might be a show of hatred, although he hopes that's not the case.

Last Thursday, the man wasleaving the gym when he saw a large chunk of meat left on the windshield of his parked car.

He feared the meat was pork, left there as an insultbecausehe's Muslim and doesn't eat pork.

"Iwas shocked," the man wrote in anemailto CBC last week.

"I took a picture of it. Ididn't want to touch it so Iwent in the car and turn on windshieldwashers,it fell to side of the car."

After that, the man reported the incident to police.

Second incident this year

It's the second unusual incident this year, said Idris Elbakri, president of the Manitoba Islamic Association.

In September, somebody anonymously mailed a slice of bacon to the Waverley Mosque, he said. He didn't think anything of it at the time, but now he's concerned the two incidents are connected.

"It's concerning because it appears to try to make an insult towards someone and express hatred or express negative sentiments about a whole community, and an individual in that community just because how they look like, or what faith community they come from," Elbakri said.

"Obviously if what we're seeing becomes a pattern where people feel that their beliefs about Muslims are being validated by what's happening in the U.S. then we have a cause for concern."

Elbakri said he wants people to take incidents like this seriously.

"If it's meant as a joke, it's not a joke. People's lives get disrupted by this," he said.

"If you have genuine concerns let's have coffee. Let's talk about it. Have the courage to come forward and talk to us and we'll talk to you, and we'll have dialogue. And we may agree or not agree but that's okay as long as we have dialogue in a civilized manner. "

The Manitoba Islamic Association is warning Muslims to be on the alert after two unsual incidents

8 years ago

Duration 1:34

A Winnipeg Muslim man is concerned a slab of meat left his car might be a show of hatred, although he hopes that's not the case.