LOS ANGELES, CA – Black Lives Matter Grassroots stands in solidarity and deep mourning with the Muslim community of San Diego following the horrific, targeted terrorist attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego on May 18, 2026. As an organization committed to the liberation of Black people and the protection of oppressed communities, we condemn this act of terrorism in the strongest terms.
The theft of three precious lives is cause for both mourning and justice. We recognize the hypocrisy of a nation that excuses white terrorists as “misguided teenagers” while Muslim children are branded as “terrorists” and Black youth as “thugs,” as justification for state violence. We also know that the San Diego killers did not act in isolation, but in the context of a city, county, and country that has long criminalized people of color through so-called gang documentation and enhancements, white nativism, ICE raids, police violence, and racism and xenophobia writ large.
We stand with the families of the three souls stolen from us, and we particularly honor the life and ultimate sacrifice of Brother Amin Abdullah. Brother Amin, a beloved Black Muslim and a dedicated security guard at the mosque for more than a decade, epitomized the principle of “We keep us safe.” We are grateful for the long-standing tradition and model of Black Muslims keeping our communities safe. Brother Amin did not rely on police to protect our community; he took that responsibility upon himself as an act of love, service, and faith. Brother Amin’s actions were heroic, as he stood his ground against attackers at the entrance, directly preventing the violence from reaching the Al-Rasheed School located within the Center, saving the lives of hundreds of children and teachers.
As a Black Muslim, Brother Amin’s service reminds us that Black people are constantly leading the fight for our own safety, even while facing intersecting forms of oppression, including racism and anti-Muslim violence. Brother Amin died a defender, bringing honor to his community and proving that our protection lies in our unity and our commitment to one another.
We ground this moment in the Islamic understanding of a virtuous death in defense of others, honoring Brother Amin as a martyr (Shaheed).
Brother Amin’s final social media post spoke of success as “…returning back to Allah OUR creator with the same pure soul he loaned me at birth…receiving the glad tidings of Jannah which you were promised….” He lived his purpose and sacrificed everything so that our community could live.
We send love and condolences to Brother Amin’s family, the Muslim community in San Diego, and all those grieving. We will continue to organize and protect our own.
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un. (Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed, to Him we return.)
How to Support:
Community members are coming together to support Brother Amin’s family. You can contribute to the LaunchGood fundraiser for Brother Amin Abdullah’s family:
www.launchgood.com — “Support the families of the Martyrs of the Islamic Center of San Diego”
We also know that the San Diego killers did not act in isolation, but in the context of a city, county, and country that has long criminalized people of color through so-called gang documentation and enhancements, white nativism, ICE raids, police violence, and racism and xenophobia writ large.
Charleston, SC – Black Lives Matter Grassroots stands in full solidarity with the Charleston Reparations Taskforce and the Gullah Geechee community in demanding the immediate transfer of over 7,000 acres of plantation land, including Middleton Place, Boone Hall, and Magnolia Plantation, to permanent Gullah Geechee stewardship.
We are grateful for the courage, vision, sacrifice, and power of Black Lives Matter Grassroots Twin Cities lead Chauntyll Allen, courageous comrade Nekima Levy Armstrong, and other principled organizers for their righteous resistance to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) federal invasion and fascist repression in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Rather than submitting to an unparalleled evil that murders mothers in their own vehicles, explodes chemical weapons upon infants, kidnaps and imprisons preschoolers, brutalizes children, separates families, and terrorizes communities, grassroots organizers in the Twin Cities are putting their own bodies, freedom and livelihood on the line to secure community.
