San Diego prayer vigil draws hundreds after Islamic Center attack
Presbyterians join interfaith community in response to mosque shooting and call for peace
Hundreds gathered Tuesday in a wide circle beneath tall eucalyptus trees near the Islamic Center of San Diego, standing shoulder to shoulder as prayers were offered at the center and carried outward through the crowd. The gathering brought together a diverse cross-section of the region, with people from many faith traditions and community backgrounds present.
The vigil followed a deadly attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday, May 18, when two teenage gunmen opened fire, killing three men before later dying from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Authorities have said the shooting is being investigated as a possible hate crime.
Those killed in the attack were identified as Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha and Nadir Awad. According to NBC News, Abdullah, a security guard, played a critical role in initiating a lockdown that helped prevent the attackers from reaching classrooms inside the mosque’s school.
Kaziha, a longtime member of the mosque community, and Awad, a nearby resident and regular attendee, were also killed outside the building while responding to the unfolding violence.
Leaders from the Presbytery of San Diego joined the vigil alongside clergy and community leaders from multiple religious traditions. The gathering followed a presbytery meeting earlier in the day. Many Presbyterian pastors left early to attend the vigil in solidarity with their Muslim neighbors.
The Rev. Daniel So, co-pastor of Anchor and Hope and director of Innovation and Witness for the Presbytery of San Diego, helped coordinate the presbytery’s engagement in ecumenical and interfaith relationships and shared photographs from the vigil. Additional images of the gathering were documented by other presbytery leaders. So said leaders from the presbytery joined “hundreds and hundreds of San Diegans” to remember the lives lost and to pray for a future shaped by compassion rather than violence. “May we continue to stand for the God-given dignity and worth of all people and to work together to build a more just, equitable, safe and kind world around us,” So wrote in a social media post about the event.
The Rev. Dr. Kerry Allison of Christ United Presbyterian Church was among the interfaith speakers, joining leaders from across faith traditions in prayer and reflection. The Rev. Eileen VanGieson, the associate pastor at Christ Presbyterian Church , was also in attendance, as was the honorably retired Rev. Greg Bostrom, who contributed images of the event for the presbytery’s social media pages.
The Rev. Dr. Sean Chow, executive presbyter for the Presbytery of San Diego, reflected on the gathering in an email to denominational leaders, noting the participation of Presbyterian clergy and members and expressing gratitude for the presbytery’s presence. Chow was unable to attend the vigil but highlighted the strong turnout and leadership from within the presbytery. “I am thankful that many of our pastors left the presbytery meeting early to want to stand with our Muslim neighbors,” Chow told the Presbyterian News Service.
“In a time when division and suspicion can so easily take root, may we instead choose the harder and holier path of compassion, relationship and mutual care,” Chow wrote in a follow-up communication to presbytery members. “Our Muslim neighbors are not strangers to us. They are part of the shared community we are called to love and protect together.”
Participants at the vigil gathered for prayer and remembrance, forming a visible expression of interfaith solidarity. Faith leaders and community members stood together as prayers were offered, reflecting a shared commitment to support those affected and to resist hatred.
Joseph Russ, a U.S.-facing Global Ecumenical Liaison serving the synods of the Pacific, Southern California & Hawaii, Southwest and Rocky Mountains attended the presbytery meeting in which the vigil was announced. Russ was quick to share the news, images and reflections on the vigil with denominational leaders. “I was moved by the passion and speed with which people responded [Tuesday],” Russ said, adding that he hoped to highlight “how Presbyterians are showing up in the face of violence and hate.”
Dr. Dianna Wright, director of Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations in Presbyterian Life & Witness, emphasized the importance of that response. “We are so grateful for the ways the PC(USA) is present with our siblings, especially in moments of crisis.”
The Islamic Center of San Diego, the largest mosque in San Diego County, includes a mosque and school serving children and families in the region. Authorities have said students and staff inside the building at the time of the shooting were safely evacuated.
The attack has deeply shaken the San Diego community and comes amid broader concerns about rising anti-Muslim hate in the United States.
Even so, the vigil reflected a different sentiment: a community choosing to gather, to mourn together, and to stand in solidarity across lines of faith and background. In that shared space, participants bore witness not only to loss but also to a collective commitment to dignity, safety and solidarity.
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