This letter was submitted by the leadership of Cal Poly’s Muslim Student Association. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Mustang Media Group.
On Monday, May 18, a horrific tragedy struck the Islamic Center of San Diego when two teenage boys attacked the mosque, claiming the lives of three Muslims before ending their own lives. The shockwaves of this violence are felt acutely right here in San Luis Obispo and in communities across the country.
The three men killed were pillars of their community who died protecting the 140 schoolchildren and teachers within 15 feet of the shooting. Amin Abdullah was the mosque’s security guard. He was known for his commitment to community safety, skipping meals to guard the mosque, encouraging people to learn self-defense and training volunteers at smaller mosques in the area.
When the shooters approached the building, Abdullah alerted the school of the active shooters over radio and exchanged gunfire with them before they took his life. He stalled the shooters, allowing those inside the mosque and the school to take shelter.
Mansour Kaziha and Nadir Awad called the police and drew the shooters into the parking lot, where they were cornered and killed. Kaziha ran the mosque’s gift shop, cooked large meals for congregants and served as a handyman around the mosque. Awad was a frequent attendee of the mosque, where his wife teaches kindergarten. He was known for his friendly, bubbly personality.
In a society that associates Islam with violence, they represent the love, gratitude and peace that are core to our way of life as Muslims.
For many Muslims, this tragedy is not an isolated incident in a distant city; it is a painful reminder of the everyday bias and dehumanizing rhetoric that Muslims face close to home. Last November, SLO County District Attorney Dan Dow reposted tweets suggesting the election of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim man, would bring about a terror attack similar to the scale of 9/11.
Usage of anti-Muslim rhetoric, especially by public figures, creates an environment where violence against Muslims is normalized.
It is important to recognize that this attack stems from a growing online movement that spreads hatred towards Muslims. The shooters reportedly promoted Nazi symbols and ideologies online while making light of school shootings and other mass-casualty attacks.
Their 75-page manifesto praised Brenton Tarrant, the white supremacist responsible for killing 51 Muslims in the 2019 mosque attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand. The manifesto contained anti-Muslim, antisemitic, anti-LGBTQ+, anti-Black, anti-Latino and misogynistic rhetoric, as well as references to the white supremacist “Great Replacement Theory.”
According to investigators, the attackers hoped to accelerate racial conflict and societal collapse. Their actions were fueled by racist ideologies and weren’t simply due to “mental health” as some
news outlets reported. We call on our leaders to address the problem of the rising mental health crisis within our country, but to cite this as solely a consequence of mental health issues, diminishes the role that these racist ideologies played in orchestrating this shooting. Validating
ideas that put down marginalized communities creates an environment where these acts of violence are seen as justified or even seen as necessary.
In a recent interview with Zeteo, Rana Dbeis, the mother of a preschooler who was locked down during the shooting, articulated the fears associated with being a Muslim in America:
“I’m visibly Muslim; I really felt like there was a constant target on my back,” Dbeis said. “I felt for a long time that it hasn’t been safe for people like us. The political atmosphere is extremely violent now. It’s supercharged. Even living in California, a so-called blue state, you still don’t feel safe. Just reading everything and seeing how people feel about us, you understand that you’re not safe here.”
Widespread hateful rhetoric against Muslims only enables these threats to grow unchecked. We as Muslims don’t stand with a specific political party, we do however condemn the hate that is perpetuated by the media and prominent political figures that normalize hateful acts like these. Too often, Muslims who speak out against fear of attacks are met with silence, inaction or simple words of condolences. The lack of consequences against those who spread anti-Muslim rhetoric indirectly sends a message that violence against Muslims in all forms is socially, politically and culturally permissible.
Now more than ever, we must realize that safety and bigotry are issues that affect all communities. We cannot afford indifference. It is vital that we actively listen to understand the realities faced by Muslims, validate the safety concerns of our peers and most importantly, stand together to ensure an attack like this can’t happen again. Our entire SLO community will only grow stronger if we show up for each other.
To honor those we lost and to firmly reject the hatred that motivated this violence, the Muslim Student Association will lead a vigil on Dexter Lawn today, May 26, from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. We invite all community members to join us in solidarity, proving the unity and strength of our community and showing that our collective commitment to inclusivity and safety will always be stronger than fear.
Sincerely,
Cal Poly Muslim Student Association Board