{"id":273282,"date":"2026-04-17T22:45:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T22:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/273282\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T22:45:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T22:45:08","slug":"islamic-society-of-orange-county-under-heightened-security-after-online-threats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/273282\/","title":{"rendered":"Islamic Society of Orange County under heightened security after online threats"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Islamic Society of Orange County is taking tighter security measures following a recent online campaign that targeted the longtime pillar of the community in Garden Grove.<\/p>\n<p>With threats brazenly made against the mosque and community center on social media, the Garden Grove Police Department has stepped up patrols around the hub that serves 10,000 people in the greater area.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are also a school campus with children,\u201d said Hassan Mukhlis, ISOC\u2019s president. \u201cWe appreciate that there was a swift response to the threats from our elected officials and police department. We are continuing to work with them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>ISOC officials are calling on law enforcement to investigate threats posted on Facebook earlier this month.<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for Garden Grove PD did not comment for this story.<\/p>\n<p>Long considered the \u201cmother mosque\u201d for Southern California Muslims, threats against ISOC followed an online screed by Amy \u201cMek\u201d Mekelburg, founder and editor-in-chief of Rise Align Ignite Reclaim.<\/p>\n<p>In a post on X that was republished Tuesday on the group\u2019s website, Mekelburg claimed ISOC\u2019s plans to expand its compound will create a \u201cSharia enclave\u201d and serve as a cover for the \u201cIslamization\u201d of Orange County.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is how parallel societies form,\u201d she wrote, \u201cnot overnight, but acre by acre, bylaw by bylaw, school by school. California already struggles with integration in some communities. Handing more control to a Shariah-first model accelerates the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reposted on Facebook by another verified user, RAIR\u2019s framing sparked comments that ranged from hate rhetoric to violent threats.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt would be a shame if somebody blew it up with an I.E.D.!\u201d one person sarcastically wrote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese people, they need to leave America either upright or not,\u201d another commented about Muslims.<\/p>\n<p>            <img class=\"image\" alt=\"Garden Grove police have stepped up patrols around the Islamic Society of Orange County.\"   width=\"1200\" height=\"830\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776465908_495_.jpeg\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>         <\/p>\n<p>Garden Grove police have stepped up patrols around the Islamic Society of Orange County.<\/p>\n<p>(James Carbone\/James Carbone)<\/p>\n<p>In a search summary, Facebook\u2019s Meta AI assistant referred to RAIR as its top source on ISOC and presented the \u201cseparate society\u201d expansion plan fears as legitimate criticism.<\/p>\n<p>But the Council on American-Islamic Relations\u2019 <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/islamophobia.org\/islamophobic-organizations\/rair-foundation-usa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Islamophobia tracker<\/a> flagged the Mekelburg\u2019s RAIR Foundation USA as an anti-Muslim hate organization and website.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a hate group through-and-through,\u201d said Amir Shabaik, CAIR-LA\u2019s legal director. \u201cThat comes clear through their misinformation campaign, as well. There\u2019s obviously a clear, hateful agenda being pushed here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>CAIR-LA condemned RAIR\u2019s online posts as a \u201csmear campaign\u201d and is helping ISOC take measure to address security concerns. <\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, two local congressional representatives have also denounced the violent rhetoric. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am disgusted by the online attacks and threats of violence targeting ISOC,\u201d said Rep. Derek Tran, a Democrat whose 45th Congressional District includes Garden Grove. \u201cOur law enforcement officials must investigate and prosecute these threats to the fullest extent of the law. Islamophobia has no place in America.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Dave Min (D-Irivine) called ISOC \u201ca vital part\u201d of the county\u2019s fabric for over 50 years and demanded accountability.<\/p>\n<p>Established in 1976, ISOC has grown to host interfaith events, farmers markets and a food pantry that became a vital resource for the community when the federal government shutdown last year impacted food stamp benefits.<\/p>\n<p>Hoping to clarify its future plans, Mukhlis looks forward to ISOC\u2019s next 50 years and an expanded compound that offers integrated services for Muslims and non-Muslims alike.<\/p>\n<p>ISOC officials are working with city planners on permits for construction. They hope the \u201creimagined\u201d plan for the mosque and community center will break ground next year.<\/p>\n<p>A gymnasium with basketball courts and an expanded caf\u00e9 are key components of the proposed revamp of ISOC\u2019s 5-acre property.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese are just our goals to expand our services, work with the city [and] work with the residents,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just for Muslims, it\u2019s for everybody. To say anything different is an unfair characterization, given that we are a front line for our fellow Garden Grove residents whenever there\u2019s a need.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Islamic Society of Orange County is taking tighter security measures following a recent online campaign that targeted&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":273283,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,165,164,179,2821,11078,118453,118451,118452,118448,118449,28222,611,3230,118450,32524,11431,3660],"class_list":{"0":"post-273282","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-anaheim","8":"tag-anaheim","9":"tag-anaheim-headlines","10":"tag-anaheim-news","11":"tag-community","12":"tag-facebook","13":"tag-garden-grove","14":"tag-hassan-mukhlis","15":"tag-islamic-society","16":"tag-islamophobia-tracker","17":"tag-isoc","18":"tag-mekelburg","19":"tag-muslims","20":"tag-orange-county","21":"tag-plan","22":"tag-rair","23":"tag-school-campus","24":"tag-threat","25":"tag-website"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=273282"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273282\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/273283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=273282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=273282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=273282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}