ICNA Council for Social Justice Condemns Deadly Shooting at Islamic Center of San Diego

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ICNA Council for Social Justice Condemns Deadly Shooting at Islamic Center of San Diego

May 18, 2026

The ICNA Council for Social Justice is heartbroken and outraged by the fatal shooting today at the Islamic Center of San Diego — an attack that claimed the lives of at least three Muslim worshippers and endangered children who were attending classes while school was in session.

Among those killed was security guard Amin Abdullah, whose heroic actions are credited with preventing further loss of life.

According to authorities, the San Diego Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the incident as a hate crime. The suspects were later found dead from self-inflicted gunshot wounds inside their vehicle, where Islamophobic writings were reportedly discovered.

“The mosque is a safe place for all people. Mosques do not restrict entrance, because all people are allowed to seek refuge within their walls. Mosques are places of peace for all people, across all religious denominations. To see the sanctity of a place of worship violated is painful for all Muslims, and a stark reminder of the danger that our community is facing as Islamophobic sentiment grows more every single year. We demand accountability — not just from the perpetrators, but from every public figure whose rhetoric created the soil in which this violence was grown.”

— Imam Khalid Griggs, Communications Director, ICNA Council for Social Justice

The ICNA Council for Social Justice warns that anti-Muslim hate and Islamophobic incidents are increasing at an alarming rate across the United States. Earlier this year, a far-right protest was livestreamed outside the East Plano Islamic Center, and a mosque in Palm Beach County was set on fire. Anti-Muslim rhetoric and fearmongering by public figures continue to fuel hostility and violence targeting Muslim communities nationwide.

ICNA Council for Social Justice Demands:

1. The Department of Justice open a full federal hate crime investigation and prosecute all responsible parties to the fullest extent of the law.
2. Congress pass comprehensive federal legislation protecting houses of worship, including specific protections for mosques and Islamic institutions.
3. Elected officials who have used anti-Muslim rhetoric be publicly censured by their colleagues. Silence in the face of hatred is complicity.
4. The Department of Homeland Security immediately expand the Nonprofit Security Grant Program so that every mosque, Islamic school, and Muslim community center has access to meaningful security resources.
5. Donald Trump issue an unambiguous and unequivocal condemnation of anti-Muslim hatred without deflection or equivocation.

The ICNA Council for Social Justice stands in complete solidarity with the congregation of the Islamic Center of San Diego, the family of Brother Amin Abdullah, and every Muslim in America questioning their safety in this moment.

We want our communities to know: you are not alone. We will continue this fight.