It's been two days since the horrific shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego where three beloved members of the community, Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha, and Nadir Awad, were killed while trying to protect everyone in the building. Like you, our hearts are heavy.
No one should ever fear for their life while attending prayers, sending their child to school, or gathering in a house of worship. We'd be remiss to wonder, "how could this happen?" given the current climate of Islamophobia, dehumanizing rhetoric, and political fear-mongering that has made our Muslim communities feel increasingly targeted and unsafe. CAIR has called on politicians to end the “campaign of hate” targeting American Muslims, and we echo that call clearly and firmly.
As a community, we must stand against Islamophobic rhetoric and hold our representatives accountable for the words they use and the harm they can cause. Even if your own representative does not engage in this rhetoric, we should still urge them to call it out, challenge it, and demand better from their colleagues.
In these holy days of Thul Hijjah, we pray for Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha, and Nadir Awad. May Allah (S) accept them as His martyrs and may He make their best days the days they meet Him. We also pray for their families and for the children, teachers, worshippers, and community members who witnessed this trauma – and for everyone grieving in San Diego and beyond. May Allah (S) grant the victims the highest ranks of Jannah, bring comfort to their loved ones, and protect our communities from harm.
To our Muslim customers and community: we see you, we grieve with you, and we stand with you.
With heavy hearts,
The HH Team
