The Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) will be hosting a peaceful vigil May 23 in solidarity with the Islamic Center of San Diego after a terrorist attack there killed three men.
The vigil will be held at 6 p.m. at Dublin Bridge Park in Dublin, according to a media release from CAIR-Ohio. The vigil will include community members, faith leaders, advocates, and allies and will “serve as a moment of prayer, reflection, unity, and collective condemnation of anti-Muslim hate,” according to a media release from CAIR-Ohio.
“We strongly condemn this horrifying act of violence at the Islamic Center of San Diego,” CAIR-Ohio said. “Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by this attack. No one should ever fear for their safety while attending prayers or studying at an elementary school.”
The shooting occurred May 18 at the Islamic Center of San Diego and was carried out by two teenagers, according to reporting from USA Today. The attackers, identified as Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, were found dead in a vehicle a few blocks away from the mosque from what appeared to be self-inflicted gunshot wounds, according to San Diego police.
The victims were identified as Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha, and Nadir Awad, according to reporting from USA Today. Authorities said Abdullah, a security guard at the center, opened fire at the gunmen and the two other men drew the attention of the shooters back out into the parking lot.
San Diego police said the attack is being investigated as a hate crime. Mark Remily, special agent in charge of the FBI’s field office in San Diego, said Clark and Vazquez “definitely had a broad hatred toward a lot of folks.” He said that “when the time is right,” the agency would share additional information about a potential motive.
Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, at ShahidMeighan on X, and at shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: CAIR-Ohio to host vigil in solidarity with San Diego mosque
Reporting by Shahid Meighan, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
