Imam from San Diego mosque recounts May 18 attack, urges separate anti-Muslim reporting category

Imam Taha Hassini, director of the Islamic Center of San Diego, told the California Commission on the State of Hate that two shooters attacked his mosque on May 18, killing a security guard and two unarmed community members who tried to protect children.

"He was murdered," Hassini said, describing the security guard's exchange with the shooters at the gate and the brief window before police arrived. The imam said the shooters then entered the building, moved through the prayer hall and ultimately fled from the parking lot; the congregation called 911 and police arrived about four minutes after the call, he said.

Hassini recounted that the attack occurred while he had been escorting visiting students through the center earlier that morning. He described a long pattern of harassment at the center ' hate mail, vandalism and verbal abuse ' and urged the commission to ensure reporting systems capture anti-Muslim incidents explicitly. "So it's very important to to have the anti-Muslim hate categorized," he told the commissioners, saying current practice often places those incidents under a generic "other" category.

The commission's chair, Brian Levan, praised the mosque community and the individuals who tried to stop the attackers, calling their actions "heroic." "Hatred has never had the final word in this country and it will not have it now," Levan said, adding the commission would work with the imam and state leaders to explore policy steps to protect houses of worship.

Several commissioners echoed Hassini's call for better data and support. Commissioner Isan Zafar said more precise data are needed to make targeted policy and funding decisions; Vice Chair Andrea Beth Dansky and others offered to host and plan a San Diego forum once the community has had time to heal.

Hassini also highlighted community outreach and support since the attack, saying faith leaders across denominations and elected officials had reached out and that the Islamic Center had received expressions of solidarity statewide and nationally. He closed by inviting the commission to hold an in-person forum at the mosque and by urging state action to protect religious institutions and communities.

The commission did not take formal action on the imam's invitation at the meeting; members discussed next steps and agreed staff would follow up to explore logistics and legal constraints for holding a forum at a house of worship.