Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- A Utah imam expressed concern over rising Islamophobia after a San Diego mosque shooting.
- The shooting left three dead and was investigated as a potential hate crime.
- Imam Shuaib Din emphasized the impact of such violence on entire communities.
WEST JORDAN — A local imam said a deadly shooting at a San Diego mosque on Monday was not shocking news as he raised concerns about rising Islamophobia in the U.S.
Police said the shooting left three people dead at the Islamic Center of San Diego, and two suspected teen shooters were later found dead themselves of self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
Detectives were reportedly investigating the ordeal as a hate crime until proven otherwise.
At the Utah Islamic Center, Imam Shuaib Din said violent acts like these have almost become the norm.
"People in our society are committed to bringing that violence inside places of peace," Din said. "These were considered, at one point in time, safe places, sanctuaries."
Din expressed concern about what he believed was a trend of rising Islamophobia since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel.
"Whatever happens in the Middle East or any Muslim country in the world, it seems to affect the Muslims living in America," Din said.
The imam said incidents like this one impact more than just the victims and their families, but also entire communities that surround them.
"It affects thousands of people — whoever belongs to that color or creed," he said.
Din wasn't the only leader locally to react to the deadly shootings.
Alex Shapiro, CEO of the United Jewish Federation of Utah, issued a statement condemning the attack.
"The United Jewish Federation of Utah is horrified by today's deadly attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego, where three people were killed in an act of violence targeting a house of worship," the statement read. "We mourn the lives lost and extend our deepest condolences to the victims' families, the Islamic Center community, and the Muslim community in San Diego and across the country."
Din himself was the target of a shooting in February at the beginning of Ramadan, but prosecutors later determined the incident was not a hate crime and that it stemmed from past interactions with the suspected shooter.
He acknowledged he didn't have all the answers for what took place on Monday.
"People seem to feed off of the internet; their hate, their fears, their Islamophobia," Din said.
He urged others to do their part to stop hate where they see it.
"I think the people of goodwill should come together and say, 'Enough is enough,'" Din said. "Become the keyboard warrior and do the best they can to shut these people down and say, 'No, you are wrong.'"
