US House Holds Moment of Silence for San Diego Mosque Shooting Victims
On the House floor, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs said she spoke "with a heavy heart" as she paid tribute to Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha and Nadir Awad, who were killed when two teenage gunmen opened fire at the mosque...
Thursday May 21, 2026
Congresswoman Sara Jacobs said the deadly attack was a stark reminder of what happens when Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate are allowed to spread unchecked.
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The US House of Representatives held a moment of silence for the victims of the recent shooting at the Islamic Centre of San Diego.
On the House floor, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs said she spoke “with a heavy heart” as she paid tribute to Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha and Nadir Awad, who were killed when two teenage gunmen opened fire at the mosque complex on Monday.
Jacobs described the Islamic centre as a treasured place in the Clairemont community — a refuge of peace, comfort and safety.
“And unfortunately, that was ripped away from our community by two people armed with guns and hate,” she 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,” Jacobs added, noting that the centre has faced hate speech and vandalism for decades.
She said the death toll could have been much higher if not for people who stepped in to protect others, displaying “the courage and bravery to stand up in the face of danger, to distract, delay, and even engage with the gunmen to save others.”
Jacobs said the attack was not only aimed at the Muslim community, but also at core American ideals of religious liberty and diversity.
The California Democrat called the violence “an attack on pluralism” and pledged that the wider community would stand together against intolerance.
Addressing Muslim Americans directly, Jacobs said: “We will honour the lives of these great men we lost by coming together and showing that our response to hate is love”.
