Months after two terrorists killed three men at a San Diego mosque, the City Council on Tuesday unanimously adopted a working definition of Islamophobia with the intention of taking a moral stance against hate.
Dozens, including faith leaders, spoke in favor of the proposed definition, which reads: "Islamophobia is a form of racism, prejudice, discrimination, hostility, or hatred directed toward Muslims or those perceived to be Muslim, or their property, that targets expressions of Muslim identity or perceived Muslim identity and may manifest through speech, conduct, institutional practices, exclusion, intimidation, harassment, or violence."
Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera and Council President Joe LaCava proposed the action, the definition above serving as "an educational tool to help the city identify, condemn, and combat anti-Muslim hate and would reaffirm the city's commitment to religious freedom and civil rights," according to a statement from the council members.
On May 18, a pair of teenagers motivated by white nationalism gunned down the victims at the Islamic Center of San Diego before fleeing and fatally shooting themselves.
The victims β mosque security guard Amin Abdullah, 51, and congregation members Nadir Awad, 57, and Mansour Kaziha, 78 β "sacrificed their lives to protect the entire community inside the Islamic Center of San Diego," ICSD Imam Taha Hassane said.
"In an ideal San Diego, people of all faiths and backgrounds would feel safe and loved. Tragically, that is not the case. These are hard times," Elo Rivera said, noting that some members of the Muslim community did not feel supported by the city following the shooting. "Some of those harms have occurred here in these chambers."
Following the May attacks, the U.S. Immigration Policy Center at UC San Diego found that 88% of surveyed Muslims in San Diego County reported feeling less safe in their community, 74% reported increased concern for their personal safety because they are Muslim and nearly half expressed concern that threats against Muslims are not taken seriously.
Earlier this year, the council adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of Antisemitism, a move that has proved controversial owing to that definition's repeated references to Israel, which skeptics said conflates the Jewish community with that country. Muslim leaders told city leaders they were not consulted regarding that definition. Jewish faith leaders were also not consulted regarding the Islamophobia definition passed Tuesday.
Councilmember Kent Lee said the council's move was the "bare minimum," and La Cava said Tuesday's action was "just the beginning."
"This is an effort to carve a path forward from the horrific event," he said. "Hate has no room, no home in San Diego."
Councilwoman Jennifer Campbell agreed, saying Tuesday's vote sets a standard.
"When one community is targeted for its faith, we all have a responsibility to stand up and say 'not here, not in California, not in America,"' she said. "We must always remember an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us."
Tasha Williams, a community activist and former candidate for mayor, said San Diego needed to follow the lead of other communities and use city resources to create an active shooter alert network, referencing not only the Islamic Center of San Diego, but also the earlier Chabad of Poway hate crime, which left one person dead and three injured.
Elo-Rivera and LaCava both said they supported the idea and would begin working toward such an alert system.
