“An attack on one faith community is an attack on the sacred dignity of all human life.”
That is what San Diego Bishop Michael Pham stated in response to the shooting on May 18 at the Islamic Center of San Diego that left five people dead. Three were killed at the center, including a security guard, a manager and a community member who are credited with helping to save lives.
The suspects, two teenaged boys, were found dead nearby of self-inflicted wounds.
Federal and local law enforcement authorities are investigating the shooting at the center – the largest mosque in San Diego County – as a hate crime. They recovered a manifesto left by the teens that expressed hate against a wide aspect of races and religions, more than Muslims in the mosque, said the agent in charge of San Diego’s FBI office.
“We stand united in solidarity and prayer with the Muslim community, which was subjected to a senseless act of violence,” Bishop Pham said in a statement after the shooting.
“The Islamic Center has been a longtime partner in our collaborative work for justice, especially in accompanying immigrants. Houses of worship must always be sanctuaries of peace, safety, and prayer.
“On behalf of the entire Roman Catholic community of San Diego, we offer my deepest condolences, solidarity and fervent prayers to the families of the victims and the entire Muslim community,” his statement concluded.
At the national level, Catholic bishops also assured the Muslim community of prayerful solidarity.
“On behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, I extend our profound sorrow and prayerful solidarity following the tragic shooting at the San Diego Islamic Center,” said Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in a statement.
“We stand with Chief Imam Taha Hassane, the entire Muslim community, and all who mourn in the wake of this senseless violence, affirming our shared commitment to the dignity of every human life and the rejection of hatred in all its forms.”
The Muslim population is estimated to number between 65,000 and 100,000 in San Diego County, many with roots in the Middle East and North Africa. They live mainly in the cities of San Diego and El Cajon.
The shooting was the latest attack on religious institutions across the nation. On Aug. 27, 2025, a man opened fire during a school Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, killing two students and injuring 28 others, including 24 children. The gunman died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene.
Seven years ago in San Diego County, a college student set fire to a mosque in Escondido. A month later, on April 27, 2019, he opened fire at Chabad of Poway synagogue, fatally shooting one woman and injuring three people, including the rabbi. The man was later tried and sentenced to life in prison.
The Islamic Center’s director, Imam Taha Hassane, has long joined other faith leaders in the region in advocating for peace and justice, particularly for the most vulnerable. He stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Washington Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, when he led the San Diego Diocese, and, most recently, with Bishop Pham, calling for the fair treatment of immigrants.
Last Jan. 25, he joined dozens of faith leaders who walked through Barrio Logan streets in San Diego, in an event billed as “Standing for All That Is Sacred.”
The leaders stopped at several places where ICE agents had detained community members to share a reflection and to pray. Imam Hassane was one of them, sharing a bit about his faith tradition, emphasizing the shared responsibility everyone has to protect the dignity of all human beings.
On the afternoon of the shooting outside of the Islamic Center, located in the Clairemont neighborhood, he spoke once more publicly.
“All that I can say at this moment is that my community is mourning,” he began. “This is something that we never expected to take place, but at the same time, the religious intolerance and the hate, unfortunately, that exist in our nation is unprecedented.
“All of us, we are responsible for spreading the culture of tolerance, the culture of love. All of us, from whatever position we have as parents, as media people, as elected officials, as law enforcement, as religious leaders, all of us, can do something to protect our nation, to protect our society.”
Then, he described the mosque he leads.
“People come to the mosque to pray, to socialize, to celebrate, to enjoy their time together. Muslims and non-Muslims alike, everyone has been always welcomed.
“So, let’s do our best to spread this culture of love, and tolerance, and sympathy for the sake of this nation, for the sake of the future generation.”
(Aida Bustos is the editor of The Southern Cross, the official newspaper of the Diocese of San Diego.)
