CARE California: San Diego mosque attack underscores urgent need for equitable grants and reporting

Usama Muqaddim, legislative and government affairs director for CARE California, recounted the May 18 attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego that killed three community members and called on the Legislature to ensure Muslim-serving organizations can access security grants and victim services.

"Three men went to a place of worship and did not return home because they stood between armed attackers and children," Muqaddim said, describing the casualties and the role worship-site staff played protecting congregants. He said CARE offices logged sharp increases in reported mosque incidents and that the group's civil‑rights complaint intake and outreach have surged.

Muqaddim urged an equity review of the state's nonprofit-security grants (noting only about 6% of awards were readily identifiable as Muslim‑serving in the most recent round), stronger outreach to underconnected organizations, funding for culturally competent reporting and legal services, and a rapid emergency response fund to support sites in the immediate aftermath of attacks.