Muslims unite in mourning after San Diego shooting

A funeral prayer held on 21 May for three Muslim men killed in an Islamophobic hate-crime shooting in San Diego was attended by more than 2,000 people.

The San Diego deadly anti-Muslim terror attack took place earlier this week. Two teenagers known for their white supremacist views were responsible for the attack. They fled the mosque in their vehicle and were later ⁠found dead from self-inflicted gunshots.

More than 2,000 people gathered at Mission Valley River Park in San Diego for the funeral prayer for the three men killed while trying to stop the attack on the city’s largest mosque. The men are being hailed as heroes for confronting the attackers and preventing further… pic.twitter.com/Jr7ns2YoF2

— TRT World (@trtworld) May 22, 2026

“God is the greatest,” attendees chanted in Arabic, raising their hands. Police have indicated that the three victims took action that prevented further bloodshed and casualties — an act that deeply affected the local muslims present.

More than 2,000 people gathered for funeral prayers in San Diego for three men killed while confronting gunmen at the city’s largest mosque.

Community members said the victims’ actions helped save lives during the assault. pic.twitter.com/f2GGar4QPH

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) May 22, 2026

The US House of Representatives also held a moment of silence on Wednesday to commemorate the men.

The US House of Representatives on Wednesday observed a moment of silence for victims of the recent shooting in the Islamic Center of San Diego

Three people were killed in a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego in the US on Tuesday, May 19, when two teenage gunmen opened… pic.twitter.com/MYnAcRoo6f

— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) May 22, 2026

The tribute was led by San Diego Representative Sara Jacobs, who said:

This tragedy didn’t happen in a vacuum.We let it happen by refusing to actually do something and stop the rise of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate, and hatred of all kinds. For decades, the Islamic Center has been the target of hate speech and vandalism and yelling by people driving by.

Disturbing pattern

According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), there has been a disturbing pattern of anti-Muslim attacks targeting mosques in the US. This includes a litany of hate crimes from planned mass shootings, to arson attacks, bomb threats, and violent assaults against Muslim worshipers in Tennessee, Michigan, Virginia, Florida, and Minnesota. These incidents have deeply impacted the muslims in those communities.

It said the latest civil rights report documented 8,683 anti-Muslim bias complaints in 2025. This is the highest recorded number since the organisation began compiling these reports in 1996. It lays bare a worrying trend for muslims nationwide.

CAIR has also reported a 1,450 percent increase in anti-Muslim extremist rhetoric by officials in the 15 months after February 2025; such rhetoric contributes to heightened anxiety among muslims living in affected areas.

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria had previously declared that San Diego ‘stood with Israel.’ Later, he was heckled. This happened when he was supposedly offering sympathy to San Diego’s Muslim community earlier this week.

A San Diego resident publicly confronted Mayor Todd Gloria during a press briefing following the deadly attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego, where two teenage gunmen killed three mosque attendees including a security guard in an attack authorities are investigating as a… pic.twitter.com/cxktU2G9Ir

— VPol (@VocalPolitics1) May 19, 2026

The woman accused Gloria of ignoring repeated warnings from Muslim residents and amplifying pro-Israel rhetoric amid rising anti-Muslim hostility.

The moment was captured on video and quickly spread across social media, with many echoing the woman’s criticism.

Featured image via Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images