9 hours agoCAIR says mosque shooting has ‘shaken our community to its core’ as daughter honors slain father
Muslim leaders and civil rights advocates in San Diego on Tuesday mourned the three men killed in the Islamic Center shooting, while demanding action against what they described as rising anti-Muslim violence.
“What happened at the Islamic Center has shaken our community to its core,” said Tazheen Nizam, executive director of CAIR San Diego. “A sacred space where families gather, where children come to learn, and where community members seek comfort and connection is now a crime scene.”
Speakers repeatedly praised security guard Amin Abdullah, who authorities say helped stop the gunmen from reaching classrooms filled with children.
“Without these three heroes in the scene, sacrificing their lives, it would have been worse,” Imam Saad Eldegwi said.
Abdullah’s daughter, Hawa Abdullah, delivered an emotional tribute to her father, describing him as “the best dad in the world” who took protecting the mosque “so seriously.”
“He would want our community to stand together as one,” she said. “Regardless if you were Muslim, if you were Christian, if you were Jewish, if you had no faith, he didn’t care. He would treat you human to human.”
Several speakers also blamed what they called escalating anti-Muslim rhetoric for contributing to violence against Muslim communities.
“Hate speech leads to hate crimes,” Eldegwi said. “Hate speech leads to terrorism, extremism.”