The Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations (FEMYSO) expresses its profound grief and unequivocal condemnation following the terrorist attack targeting worshippers at the Islamic Center of San Diego, California.
This horrific act of violence is far from a one-time incident, it comes amid a continued rise in anti-Muslim hatred, dehumanising and demonising rhetoric, and the normalisation of Islamophobia across public and political discourse. Muslim communities continue to bear the consequences of an environment in which hatred against Muslims is tolerated, amplified, and insufficiently challenged.
Places of worship, faith-based educational institutions and community gathering places must never become sites of fear, violence, or mourning. Yet once again, Muslims have been targeted while gathering in a mosque. Such attacks leave deep and lasting wounds not only on the directly affected community, but on Muslims globally, who continue to witness increasing hostility and insecurity.
We extend our deepest condolences to the loved ones and families of Amin Abdullah, Nadir Awad and Mansoor Kazziha, and the wider Muslim community in San Diego. We also express our solidarity with all those impacted by this devastating attack, including community members, students, educators, and families connected to the mosque and its surrounding institutions.
Unfortunately, the ideology and narratives that fuel attacks such as this have become increasingly widespread far beyond the United States. Across Europe and elsewhere, islamophobic rhetoric has been amplified by political actors, media figures, and extremist movements that portray Muslims as outsiders, demographic threats or incompatible with society. In recent weeks, public marches and political campaigns in the UK have openly targeted Muslim communities, while some public officials and politicians have called for mass expulsions and exclusionary policies directed at Muslims and migrants.
FEMYSO calls on political leaders, institutions, media actors, and digital platforms to take meaningful action against Islamophobia, hate speech, and extremist violence. Statements of condemnation alone are not enough. Concrete measures are urgently needed to protect Muslim communities and confront the systems and narratives that enable such violence to persist.
This attack once again demonstrates the urgent need for sustained efforts to combat Islamophobia in all its forms and to ensure that Muslims are able to live, gather, and worship in safety and dignity.
[END]
Notes:
FEMYSO (est. 1996) is a network organisation for 32 Muslim youth and student organisations across 22 European countries, and is the leading voice for European Muslim youth, developing and empowering them, and working to build a more diverse, cohesive and vibrant Europe.
For more information or requests please email media@femyso.org.