(WXYZ) — The killing of three people in an attack at San Diego's largest mosque is fueling outrage across the country and in metro Detroit.
Members of our Muslim-American communities are speaking out to condemn what happened and call for peace over hate.
One day after the attack, I spent time talking with those who said they are broken-hearted and outraged by the ruthless attack.
“Having lived in that community, how does this hit home for you?" I asked Nasser Beydoun.
"San Diego is my second home. I went to school there. I lived there for a long time. It’s a beautiful city and community. You hate to see a tragedy like this. Places of worship should not be target practice. People shouldn’t have to risk their lives, to go pray in their temple. In their church or their mosque," Beydoun said.
The attack left two teenage suspects dead from self-inflicted wounds.
Now, as people across the country reflect on the case being investigated as a hate crime, civil rights advocates I talked to in Dearborn say many who attend mosques in our own community are left to fear more attacks of this kind.
Nabih Ayad, the founder of the Arab American Civil Rights League, said he's been in nonstop contact with families since the news broke.
“They are very concerned. Is this going to happen here in Dearborn? One of the largest concentrations of Arab Americans outside the Middle East. Very large concentration of Muslim Americans, obviously," Nabih Ayad,
Ayad said the killing of a beloved security guard with a large family and others underscores the evil nature of these acts, and why more must be done to promote peace and prevent hate.
He and others, including a number of imams from metro Detroit and those with ties to the San Diego mosque, have joined together with leaders across numerous faith communities to rally to keep one another safe at houses of worship and beyond.
“We need lots of education because there is ignorance. There is hatred. There is Islamophobia. It’s very unfortunate," Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi from the Islamic House of Wisdom said.
Civil rights leaders add that they believe attacks like this are a direct result of Islamophobia spreading on social media.
“It’s absolutely outrageous. It’s hurtful to humanity. It’s hurtful to our country. Hurtful to any individual that has faith based in their heart," Ayad said.
“In California, two teenagers turned into two terrorists and this happened because hate speech is all over," Elahi said.
Elahi and others also said more of our leaders must be vocal in condemning these attacks to keep them from happening again.
