US Muslims fear more violence after San Diego mosque shooting
May 19, 2026 #FBI #Islamophobia #GazaWar
Muslim advocacy groups in the United States say anti-Muslim hate crimes are rising amid increasingly
May 19, 2026 #FBI #Islamophobia #GazaWar
Muslim advocacy groups in the United States say anti-Muslim hate crimes are rising amid increasingly hostile political rhetoric and public discourse.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations says it received a record 8,683 complaints in 2023, while FBI figures show Muslims remain among the most targeted religious groups in the country.
Zahra Billoo of CAIR’s San Francisco Bay Area chapter says communities are grieving and fearful after a deadly attack at an Islamic centre that is now being investigated as a hate crime.
She accused US and Israeli officials of fuelling Islamophobia through rhetoric linked to Israel's war on Gaza and wider regional conflicts.
Billoo says mosques across the country are tightening security measures as worshippers fear further violence and possible copycat attacks.
She also paid tribute to a security guard killed in the attack, saying his actions helped prevent a greater tragedy by alerting worshippers and staff to the active shooter.
Billoo warned that closing the Islamic centre has deepened the community’s trauma, depriving people of a safe place to grieve together.
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