US Muslims fear more violence after San Diego mosque shooting

Added: 2026-05-19

[00:00:00]Now the incident comes amid a sharp increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes across the United States. Muslim advocacy groups in the US say political rhetoric and public discourse have contributed to increasing harassment, discrimination, and violence against American Muslims. The Council on American Islamic Relations or CAIR reported 8,683 complaints in 2025, the highest number recorded since the organization began tracking in 1996.

[00:00:28]And according to the FBI, Muslims are among the most targeted religious groups in the US with 228 hate crimes registered last year.

[00:00:37]Now let's speak to Zahra Billoo, the executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations in the San Francisco Bay Area. She joins me live now from Los Angeles. Zahra, thank you for being here with us. I wonder given all that that we just talked about, what are you hearing from the community this morning and what are their concerns now that this attack is being investigated as a hate crime?

[00:00:59]Everyone that I've spoken to and and heard from it is horrified and and grieving.

[00:01:05]This is everyone's worst nightmare. We go to mosques to pray. We send our kids to school to learn.

[00:01:14]And no one should ever have to worry that they would be gunned down in a hate crime in their sanctuaries.

[00:01:25]So people are still learning what happened. They have a lot of questions.

[00:01:29]Um and there's a lot of concern that our elected officials have been contributing to what got us here.

[00:01:36]A lot of those elected officials have been speaking out condemning the attack.

[00:01:40]So I wonder what do you think could be done to prevent something like this in the future?

[00:01:47]So many people are speaking out to condemn the attacks now that have been silent for nearly 3 years as Israel engaged in a genocide in Gaza and illegal immoral wars in numerous other countries funded by our taxpayer dollars. We know that that's been enabled by the United States government and that Islamophobia has been fomented by both governments, Israeli and the United States, to give permission for this war. Just last week there was a hearing in Congress on the threat posed by Sharia. When our elected officials are engaging in that rhetoric, there will unfortunately be consequences in our communities.

[00:02:33]I want to ask you about some of the people that were inside the Islamic Center yesterday. One of the people who lost their lives was the security guard at the Islamic Center and many people have been crediting him with stopping the attack from being much worse. How concerning is it given all that you've just mentioned as well that places of worship in America require security guards and that increasingly it's becoming a very dangerous job.

[00:03:00]Brother Amin was [sighs] well-known and loved in the local community. He was a trained security guard. He was armed and he was fully prepared for this worst-case scenario. But for him, yesterday could have been a much worse disaster, which is difficult to imagine, but it's important to know that he knew to call in that there was an active shooter, which enabled and actually notified everyone inside the school to lock down and protect everyone they were with.

[00:03:37]Now, I grew up being able to walk into a mosque never knowing or needing security. That's going to look very different now.

[00:03:46]And it's going to be very difficult for the children, like we heard from Odeh there, who go to school there and and who spend time in classrooms there. The Islamic Center now says it will be closed until further notice, which is something that is understandable in the wake of something like this. But, I wonder, is that in itself sort of a secondary tragedy for the community as it's trying to mourn together in the wake of something like this?

[00:04:11]Yes, people will want to be together in community, but will be fearful of how and when to do so. Other mosques are also increasing their security. They're asking, "What can we do to prevent a copycat or other future incidents?"

[00:04:26]And so, to know that we are grieving and now we are at risk if we try to do so in congregation is to your point a a second a secondary tragedy in everything that has happened.

[00:04:41]Zahra Billoo, the executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations in the San Francisco Bay Area, thank you for joining us on Al Jazeera.