Muslim university student in London, Ontario found a pig’s head in his bed — but it was just a prank, not anti-Islam

Stupid? Yes.

But anti-Islamic? Not quite, say authorities.

Western University’s campus police have cleared a student of any wrongdoing for leaving a pig’s head on Muslim student’s bed.

But the first-year student at Huron University College now faces significant disciplinary action for the prank, said the school’s principal.

“This was not intended with religious or malicious intent,” said principal Barry Craig, who wouldn’t elaborate on the punishment, citing privacy concerns.

An upper-year student at the Hellmuth Hall residence returned to his dorm room and discovered a pig’s head on his pillow, said school officials.

The incident initially sparked fears of Islamophobia — Muslims abstain from eating pork — after the student reported it to security.

Surveillance footage helped identify the student who was responsible, said John Carson, director of campus police.

That student, whose name hasn’t been released, told officials he was playing a prank on his friend — the two had a history of playing jokes on each other — and didn’t realize it may be perceived as culturally insensitive, said Carson.

“He had no idea that he was offending someone. To say he was extremely remorseful is an understatement,” said Carson, adding the Muslim student dropped his complaint after learning who was responsible.

To say he was extremely remorseful is an understatement

After speaking with both students, campus police determined a criminal offence hadn’t been committed.
Craig said the Monday incident highlights the importance of cultural sensitivity on campus.
“It’s not the way that you would want to teach greater cultural sensitivity, but I think that’s the lesson that probably will be taken away from this from everybody around,” he said.

So where did the prankster get a roasted pig’s head? He grabbed it from a medieval feast event held on campus, Craig said.

“That was the other thing that mitigated against the severity of the penalty, it didn’t seem to be a premeditated act,” he said.

Under Huron’s residence disciplinary code, penalties range from monetary fines to eviction. But if the incident is dealt with through the school’s student code of conduct, expulsion is possible.
This isn’t the first time an attempt at humour has fallen flat at Western University.

Four young men wearing Western clothing were photographed posing in front of a makeshift banner that said “Western lives Matter” during an unofficial homecoming celebration in October.

The image, posted on the photo- and video-sharing mobile app Instagram, made national headlines, prompting the university to investigate. Though school officials originally condemned the behaviour, they later declared it didn’t violate university’s code of conduct.

The incident, first reported by the Western Gazette student newspaper, follows a string of potentially hate-motivated crimes against Muslims in London.

In May, a Western PhD student from Iran was beaten by two men outside the Covent Garden Market. The attackers allegedly called the student an Arab and told him to go back to his country while pummeling him. Two men were charged in what police at the time called a possible hate crime.