All posts tagged: San Diego

After years fostering interfaith ties, San Diego mosque finds allies in grief

After years fostering interfaith ties, San Diego mosque finds allies in grief

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — For years before Monday’s deadly shooting, the Islamic Center of San Diego stood out as a place that welcomed anyone through its doors — Muslim or not. The mosque’s imam, Taha Hassane, spent decades cultivating relationships with clergy, neighbors and community activists from across the city.  Hassane told RNS in an interview he believes in showing up for others and “trying to make our society the best in terms of acceptance, tolerance.”  In the hours after the shooting that killed three members of the mosque, interfaith leaders and allies started crowding vigils to stand in solidarity with Hassane and his community. Their response to the tragedy, Muslim community members said, offered a strong rebuke to the anti-Muslim rhetoric that has escalated in recent months and has shadowed the mosque for decades.  The shooting, which is being investigated as a hate crime, shattered what had long felt like a safe haven for worshippers and neighbors alike. But mosque leaders insist it will remain a place for everyone. At the first press conference hours after …

Bipartisan Senate duo introduce new bill to protect US Jews and institutions

Bipartisan Senate duo introduce new bill to protect US Jews and institutions

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — Amid increasing attacks on U.S. Jews and institutions, two U.S. senators introduced a sweeping, bipartisan bill on Tuesday (May 19) aimed at combating antisemitism. But the Jewish American Security Act, if passed, could also help other religious institutions. Its key provision is a $1 billion investment in security resources for the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which is open to all faiths. That program is currently funded at about $300 million annually. On Monday, two teenagers shot and killed three people at the Islamic Center of San Diego, the largest mosque in San Diego County. That attack comes two months after a man rammed a pickup truck into Temple Israel, a Reform synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan. The assailant was killed and the building suffered extensive damage. RELATED: San Diego police say they are responding to an active shooter at a local mosque Jewish organizations have been working for months on a bill that would tackle antisemitism, and on Tuesday, the Senate bill was formally introduced by Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., and …

San Diego mosque shooting victims recalled as ‘men of courage’

San Diego mosque shooting victims recalled as ‘men of courage’

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — The three American Muslims killed during a shooting Monday (May 18) at a San Diego mosque are being remembered by their imam and faith community as “men of courage, sacrifice and faith” who put themselves on the line to protect others.  The Islamic Center of San Diego identified the victims as Amin Abdullah, a gentle security guard; Nadir Awad, a dedicated neighbor; and Mansour Kaziha, a longtime shopkeeper and caretaker of the mosque. Abdullah died protecting more than 200 children and community members, the mosque’s Imam Taha Hassane said in an interview with RNS. The “beloved” security guard was killed first, Hassane said, but before he died, he used his radio to warn teachers in the center’s school to lock their classroom doors. He “undoubtedly he saved lives today” by delaying the shooters in a gunbattle in front of the mosque, said San Diego Police Department Chief Scott Wahl during a press conference Monday.  Federal authorities are investigating the shooting at the largest mosque in San Diego as a hate crime. They said on …

San Diego police say they are responding to an active shooter at a local mosque

San Diego police say they are responding to an active shooter at a local mosque

Published by Sam Flores

SAN DIEGO (AP) — An active shooter opened fire at a San Diego mosque Monday, and police believe people have been shot, authorities said. Officer Anthony Carrasco said people reported multiple shots at the Islamic Center of San Diego, about 9 miles (14 km) north of downtown San Diego. It was unclear if the shooter was outside or inside, or had been captured yet. The San Diego Police Department posted that the scene is “still active but contained.” Carrasco said he did not have more information at the moment. The Islamic Center is the largest mosque in San Diego County, according to its website. The campus includes the Al Rashid School, which the website says offers courses in Arabic language, Islamic studies and the Quran. Aerial TV footage showed more than a dozen children holding hands and being walked out of the parking lot of the center that is surrounded by scores of police vehicles. The white mosque is in a neighborhood of homes, apartments and strip malls with Middle Eastern restaurants and markets. Gov. …

Pope accepts resignation of Chaldean leaders after US bishop faces felony charges

Pope accepts resignation of Chaldean leaders after US bishop faces felony charges

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Bishop Emanuel Hana Shaleta, the leader of Chaldean Catholics in the Western U.S., the Vatican announced Tuesday (March 10), after Shaleta was arrested at the San Diego International Airport on Thursday on charges of embezzlement and money laundering. The Chaldean church is one of 23 Eastern Rite churches that are in full communion with the Catholic Church and recognize the pope as their head. The Chaldean church, whose worship is conducted in Syriac, an Aramaic dialect, is based in Baghdad, but it has eparchies around the world. Shaleta headed the Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle, which covers much of the western United States. The Vatican’s announcement on Tuesday said Leo had accepted Shaleta’s resignation in February but hadn’t made a formal announcement then. It also clarified that Bishop Saad Hanna Sirop will be apostolic administrator until a new bishop is appointed. After Shaleta’s arrest on Thursday, he spent four nights in jail before pleading not guilty to 15 felony counts on Monday. A local …