The San Diego Islamic Center Attack
All violence targeting houses of worship is wrong and a violation of our values. That said, attacks on Islamic centers are relatively rare.
Two teen-aged boys attacked an Islamic center/mosque in San Diego on Monday. Three people were killed. The two boys fled and reportedly committed suicide not far from the site of the attack. Authorities are suggesting this was a hate-motivated crime.
All violence targeting houses of worship is wrong and a violation of our values. This attack on an Islamic center is very rare compared to the attacks that are happening routinely against Christian churches and Jewish synagogues.
I was looking at the hate crime statistics in New York City for the month of April. There were 30 violent antisemitic attacks on Jews. There were no anti-Muslim attacks. Islamophobia is very rare. Plus, it’s misnamed. A phobia is when you are irrationally afraid of something. But I digress.
Every attack on religious institutions must be condemned, and I do condemn the attack on the San Diego Islamic center. It is amazing that there isn’t more of this considering we are at war with radical Islamists in Iran, who are attempting to bring down the entire world economy by blocking a critical trade route.
Here’s an irony: When radical Islamists poured out of Gaza on October 7, 2023, murdered 1,200 innocent Israelis and desecrated their bodies, hate crimes exploded in America and all over the world—against Jews! The Biden Justice Department reported that 68% of religiously motivated hate crimes in 2023 were committed against Jews, while just 9% were committed against Muslims.
Churches and synagogues in America are usually good neighbors. They work with the local community. This Islamic center had a troubled and hostile relationship with its neighbors.
It was the place of worship for two of the 9/11 hijackers while they were training for the attack they would launch against the United States. The Islamic center’s current imam defended the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th. And speaking of 9/11, the former imam of another San Diego mosque was a notorious Al Qaeda propagandist, Anwar al-Awlaki.
Thankfully, none of the children at the Islamic Center of San Diego were harmed. But I worry about what those children are being taught about Christians, Jews and America.
