Samgyeopsal in front of Daegu Islamic Mosque... Disappeared Pig Head Reappears

Opposition to the Mosque: "No Plans to Remove It for Now"
Conflict Over Islamic Mosque Construction Continues for Over 2 Years

A pig's head has reappeared near the construction site of the Islamic temple in Buk-gu, Daegu. This comes just two days after three pig heads that had been left there since October last year were removed.

The Daehyeon-dong Islamic Temple Construction Opposition Committee announced on the 17th that they had newly placed two boiled pig heads at the site. The pig heads were placed in front of the gate of a house next to the temple construction site.

The committee emphasized, "After seeing incorrect reports that the pig heads were removed due to the cost of replacement, we put them back," adding, "We have no plans to remove them for the time being."

Two residents from the opposition committee who placed pig heads near the construction site to disrupt the Islamic temple construction were sent to the prosecution last December on charges of obstruction of business.

On the morning of November 2 last year, a boiled pig's head was placed on a chair in front of the gate of a house next to the construction site of an Islamic temple in Buk-gu, Daegu. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Additionally, the opposition committee grilled samgyeopsal (pork belly) in an alley near the construction site on the same day. This location was also the site of so-called 'filth terror' on the 7th. According to closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage released by the temple builder, a person poured a liquid from a pot onto the alley floor near the construction site and then disappeared. The National Forensic Service estimates that the liquid was vegetable oil.

The conflict between the Islamic temple builder and the opposition committee has continued for over two years since September 2020, when the Buk-gu Office of Daegu approved the temple construction for use as a religious assembly hall classified as a type 2 neighborhood living facility. Residents opposing the construction have strongly resisted the temple establishment by placing pig heads near the site and holding samgyeopsal parties timed with prayer hours.

Criticism has arisen that the opposition committee's acts of leaving pig heads and holding samgyeopsal parties are hateful acts mocking Muslim worshippers who do not eat pork. On the 16th, the National Human Rights Commission issued a statement saying, "Using pork in front of the Islamic temple to disparage Islamic culture and expressing and inciting hostility toward them is a typical hate expression against minorities based on race and religion."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.