The deadly shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, which left five dead, including two suspects, has drawn renewed attention to one of California’s best-known mosques, a religious center with a long history that includes both controversy and deep community roots. The mosque was the scene of what police are calling a hate crime, which left three dead, as well as the two suspects who were found in their car having died by suicide.
One of the largest in Southern California
The Islamic Center of San Diego is among the largest and oldest Muslim institutions in Southern California, serving thousands of congregants from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds.
It hosts daily prayers, youth programs, interfaith events, and an affiliated K-12 school, making it a major religious and community hub in the region. Students, teachers, and faculty from the school were safely evacuated when the shooting occurred, and no injuries or fatalities were reported.
Imam Taha Hassane, director of the Islamic Center, has frequently described the organization as focused on outreach and interfaith understanding. The New York Times reported that the sermons are conducted in English, rather than Arabic, because of the congregation’s diversity.
