Maplewood, South Orange Officials Condemn San Diego Mosque Shooting: 'Horrific And Cowardly'

SOUTH ORANGE-MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Elected officials in South Orange and Maplewood have issued statements of mourning in the wake of a mass shooting in San Diego earlier this week.

On Monday, two teenage shooters killed three men at a local mosque in California – and then killed themselves – in an attack that police are investigating as a hate crime, the Associated Press reported.

“This is a city and a community's absolute worst nightmare,” the city’s police chief said.

>> RELATED: Frantic Search For Suicidal Teen Preceded Deadly CA Mosque Shooting, Police Say

The Maplewood Township Committee and South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum, speaking on behalf of the South Orange Village Council, have each issued statements about the shooting.

Here’s what they had to say:

MAPLEWOOD TOWN COMMITTEE: ‘HORRIFIC AND COWARDLY’

The Maplewood Township Committee condemns the horrific and cowardly attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego in the strongest possible terms. The targeting of a place of worship and learning is an egregious assault on the universal values of peace, faith, and basic human dignity. No one should fear violence because of their beliefs or in their place of worship,

We express our deepest condolences to the families of the three victims who lost their lives, and we stand in absolute solidarity with the San Diego Muslim community and Muslims everywhere, including our Muslim brothers and sisters here at home. We particularly honor the heroic bravery of the mosque’s veteran security guard, Amin Abdullah, a father of eight who sacrificed his own life to alert teachers and shield nearly 200 children inside the building from further violence.

Islamophobia, white supremacy, and violent hate have no place in a civilized society. We support the San Diego Police Department and FBI investigating this atrocious act as a hate crime, and we call for enhanced protections for houses of worship nationwide to ensure that all communities can gather and pray in peace.

– Mayor Vic De Luca, Deputy Mayor Malia Herman, Committeewoman Nancy Adams, Committeeman Dean Dafis, Committeewoman Jane Collins-Colding

SOUTH ORANGE MAYOR/COUNCIL: ‘OUR CHILDREN DESERVE BETTER’

[On Monday], our country witnessed another horrific act of violence when three members of the Islamic Center of San Diego community were killed in an attack targeting the mosque, where hundreds of children attending the school on the property were forced into lock down as the attack unfolded.

Among those killed was Amin Abdullah, a security guard who gave his life protecting others inside the mosque. By all accounts, his bravery saved lives, and his actions should be remembered with deep respect and gratitude.

On behalf of the South Orange Village Council, I want to express our heartbreak and condemnation in the wake of this tragedy. We mourn alongside the victims’ families, the Muslim community in San Diego, and Muslims across our country who are once again being forced to process what authorities are investigating as a hate-motivated attack directed at people simply gathering to pray as many prepared to observe Eid al-Adha next week, a sacred time centered on faith, compassion, sacrifice, and community.

We should all take a moment to reflect on how we arrived at a place where violence like this keeps happening. The truth is that words matter. What we say online, what we repeat, what we normalize, and the way we talk about one another can either help de-escalate anger and fear or fuel it. We never truly know who is watching, absorbing that hatred, and convincing themselves that violence is justified.

That is a responsibility all of us share.

And while this investigation continues, it is impossible to ignore the broader realities facing this country: the normalization of extremism, easy access to deadly weapons, untreated mental health struggles, especially among our youth, and a culture that too often rewards anger instead of empathy. We cannot continue accepting this as inevitable.

Our children deserve better than inheriting a world where houses of worship require armed security guards and where people fear being targeted because of their faith or identity.

South Orange is by no means perfect, but we continue striving every day to be a community where people feel safe, valued, and protected.

– Mayor Sheena Collum, on behalf of the South Orange Village Council: Patricia Canning, Jen Greenberg, Bill Haskins, Summer Jones, Olivia Lewis-Chang, Hannah Zollman

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