Muslims for Just Futures (MJF) sends our deepest condolences to the community of the Islamic Center of San Diego, to the families of the three martyrs whose lives were taken while protecting the community, and to Muslims everywhere carrying grief and fear in the aftermath of this act of anti-Muslim terror.
What happened in San Diego is an act of anti-Muslim terror rooted in white supremacy and decades of structural Islamophobia that has normalized the dehumanization of Muslims. Authorities say the two suspects were radicalized online, consumed racist and anti-Muslim propaganda, and openly idolized the Christchurch mosque shooter and called themselves “the sons of Tarrant.” This attack exists within the same lineage of violence that produced Christchurch, Poway, El Paso, Quebec City, and countless other attacks where Muslims and racialized communities are dehumanized and treated as existential threats to the nation. It is critical to underscore that Tarrant himself studied the counterterrorism policies of New Zealand and prevented being detected because the policy mainly focused on targeting and surveilling Muslim communities. He massacred 51 people and injured 40 others by gunfire and targeted two mosques.
Therefore, we encourage our partners and movements to refuse the reductionist language that turns anti-Muslim terror into random “hate crimes,” “extremism,” or generalized violence. This is anti-Muslim terror that has been cultivated through decades of policies and political rhetoric that cast Muslims as permanent enemies both domestically and globally through global counterterrorism policies.
At the center of this moment are the lives of three men whose courage prevented a massacre. They model community love, power, and community defense. Despite the heavy focus in the media on glorifying the response of law enforcement, we feel it's imperative to center these three men and what they have modeled for our communities.
Amin Abdullah made the decision to protect Muslim communities after witnessing the Christchurch massacre in 2019. He understood clearly what anti-Muslim terror was becoming and chose to stand watch over his community in response. During the attack, he radioed teachers to lock classroom doors and slowed the gunmen long enough to prevent them from reaching nearly 140 children inside the school. His actions materially prevented mass death. Amin Abdullah represents what community defense actually looks like in practice, sacrifice, discipline, love, and an unwavering commitment to protecting our people even if it results in death. We pray he receives the highest levels of Jannah and that his example continues to shape future generations of Muslims committed to defending and protecting our communities.
Mansour Kaziha gave more than forty years of his life to the masjid. He was an institutional pillar. Communities survive because people like him quietly dedicate their lives to sustaining them day after day. A friendly face and consistent presence is what brings power to institutions; without them our buildings are empty. In one image shared by community members, Kaziha can be seen running the masjid store with a sign behind him stating that the store accepted EBT while helping support the masjid’s endowment. That detail reflects the kind of institutional building labor that is often invisible, making sure working families can access food and resources while simultaneously sustaining the long-term future of the mosque itself.
Nadir Awad, a business owner who lived across from the Islamic Center, ran toward danger and put his body on the line to protect others. His courage reflected a profound sense of responsibility and love for his community. His wife worked as a school teacher demonstrating the deep commitment and love they had for the community. That type of sacrifice and love for your community is what is being killed by a deep ideology of white supremacy, hate, and fundamentally extermination.
Together, these 3 men prevented what the attackers were explicitly attempting to carry out, the massacre of Muslim children and worshippers inspired by Christchurch. This is what community defense looks like.Their stories must remain central. It must be about the forms of love, protection, and collective responsibility that continue to hold Muslim communities together under conditions of relentless violence.
Broader Narrative
Furthermore, one key talking point that is being deployed over and over again is that Islamophobia is “rising.” That is false; Islamophobia has metastasized. The “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory and broader anti-Muslim fascist narratives are no longer confined to online forums. From Project 2025 to the President himself has espoused these ideologies. They circulate openly through political discourse, immigration policy, Muslim bans, and global counterterrorism infrastructure that continuously frame Muslims as demographic, ideological, and civilizational threats. From Muslim bans and anti-Sharia campaigns to the constant insinuation that Muslim civil society organizations are inherently suspect and need to be designated as terrorists, Muslims continue to be positioned as uniquely dangerous populations whose suffering is politically expendable.
Even the language of “religious freedom” and “freedom to worship” is reductionist when it refuses to directly name anti-Muslim violence. This is not about tolerance, pluralism, or some abstract coexistence. It is about structural Islamophobia and anti-Muslim terror as distinct systems of dehumanization. Too often, anti-hate frameworks refuse to center anti-Muslim violence with the same clarity and urgency afforded to other forms of dehumanization. As a result, anti-Muslim terror remains politically invisible until Muslims are murdered publicly enough that the violence can no longer be ignored. Even when that happens, unless it's not discussed alongside other forms of oppression impacting other communities, it cannot be the focus.
What remains devastating is that the people most often targeted are the very people who choose the honorable path of pouring into community life, the guards, teachers, elders, volunteers, organizers, caretakers, and institution-builders who hold our communities together. The human toll of these cycles of violence cannot be quantified. The void left behind by people like Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha, and Nadir Awad cannot be measured.
And yet even in grief, we are reminded what is still possible. One young 12 year old attendee at the San Diego vigil reportedly shared that while he once dreamed of becoming a doctor, after witnessing Amin Abdullah’s courage, he now dreams of becoming a security guard to protect the community. That statement captures the reality of this moment.
At MJF, we believe our responsibility is to ensure that when this next generation rises to take the reins, they inherit institutions, structures, and communities far stronger than the ones we inherited ourselves. Many of us joined this work because we too once were children of their age and were moved to these paths because of this violence. It's painful to see that the cycle is repeating again where children cannot be children.
Unfortunately, San Diego was not the first act of anti-Muslim terror and it will not be the last. But we owe it to those we lost to continue building the forms of collective care, political clarity, institutional power, and community defense necessary for our survival.
Below, we have compiled resources to support you, your community, and the ongoing work of keeping our spaces safe and our people protected.
Support the families of the Martyrs of Islamic Center of San Diego → LaunchGood.com/MartyrsICSD
SD District Attorney Victim Service Line → Call 619-531-4041 for help
ICNA Relief San Diego → Crescent Counseling Center
Direct Aid for Community → Muslim Community Services of San Diego
CAIR SD: Here
Additional Anti-Carceral and Abolitionist Resources on Combating anti-Arab, Muslim, or South Asian Hate
To report a hate crime: CAIR's link is here
STOP AAPI HATE's resources for BAMEMSA communities:Here
Furthermore, we are aware that in the event of increased policing and federal enforcement presence, there are genuine concerns of law enforcement and immigration targeting. Please use our resources below to navigate this difficult moment.
MJF’s Navigating Surveillance and Targeting of Movements Resource Guide: Includes KNOW YOUR RIGHTS RESOURCES: What to do if contacted by the FBI, approached at your home, or subjected to a raid.
MJF’s MST Guidance: The Criminalization of Solidarity
