Organization condemns violence that targeted San Diego facility for Muslim community.
By P.C. Staff
The Japanese American Citizens League on Thursday said that it stands in solidarity with the nation’s Muslim community following the May 18 attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego that resulted in five deaths, including victims Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha and Nadir Awad.
It its statement, the nonprofit Asian American civil rights organization said, “The JACL condemns this reprehensible act of hatred, and we reaffirm our commitment to stand with the Muslim community.”
The JACL noted that the three men killed at the center have been credited for “ … confronting the attackers and drawing their fire away from the building. Their heroic acts saved the lives of countless children and staff at the center, at the cost of their own lives.
“We send our deepest condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones and all those impacted by this act of terror.”
One of the victims, Abdullah, was a security guard for the center and father of eight. Kaziha was a former security guard, store manager, and handyman for the center. Awad was a teacher and community member who lived across the street from the center.
The two suspected teenaged gunmen, identified as Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, were found in a vehicle several blocks away, both dead from self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Law enforcement authorities indicated that “anti-Islamic” as well as anti-Jewish, anti-Black, anti-Latino and anti-LGBTQ+ writings had been found in the vehicle and that one of the shooters had engaged in social media tied to white nationalist and neo-Nazi websites.
The JACL statement also noted that the annual report from the Council on American Islamic Relations found that in the United States in 2025, there were 8,683 reports of discrimination toward Muslims and/or people perceived to be of Middle Eastern origin, the highest figure since CAIR began collecting this data in 1996.
The JACL also shared a link to the ICSD Victim & Family Support Fund, by which its members and partners could provide financial support the victims of the violence.
To view the entire JACL statement and the link donate to the victims’ fund, visit tinyurl.com/3p8ptxek.
