Islamic Center Imam reacts to indictment in May shooting

S1: Welcome in San Diego. It's Jade Hindman on this episode of KPBS Midday Edition. A discussion on anti-Muslim violence after a North Carolina teen is indicted for murder in connection to the attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego. This is KPBS Midday Edition. Connecting our communities through conversation. A North Carolina teenager is facing murder charges in connection to the Islamic Center of San Diego shooting back in May , where three people died. Prosecutors say 17 year old Sarah Lindsey Santiago recorded the gunman's livestream of the attack , distributed it and then released a document by the attackers , per an agreement. A grand jury indicted her yesterday on three counts of murder and one count of conspiracy. I'm joined now by Imam Tahar Hassan. He is the director of the Islamic Center of San Diego. Imam Taha. Welcome.

S2: Thank you. And thank you for having me.

S1: I'm so glad to have you here. Um , first I have to ask , what is your initial reaction to news of this indictment?

S2: Well , uh , we believe that it's , uh , a good step forward , uh , for pursuing justice. Uh , we believe that this is something that will bring some relief to the families of our three heroes who were murdered that day. Will bring relief also to the entire community. But in the same time , we believe that this indictment is not the end of the investigation. This is just the first step. And we hope that our law enforcement will continue the investigation and go after every individual who was part of that terrorist attack that took place on May 18th here at the Islamic Center of San Diego.

S1: The 17 year old , uh , disseminated white supremacist writings by the attackers. Here is what Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O'Neill said at a press conference yesterday.

S3: And this underground subculture of hate. They listen to each other. They talk to each other. It encoded platforms , it radicalize one another to the point where they carry out these horrific crimes of violence and murder.

S1: What do you what does this say about , you know , the dangers of radicalization , especially among young people? Yes.

S2: Yes. I'm glad that the district attorney of that county , um , in North Carolina , you know , mentioned this because this is the reality. This is the unfortunately , the the new norm that we are experiencing here in the United States of America. White supremacy is in the rise and the hatred that we see on , on the internet , on social media. This hatred is not only , you know , words and speeches that these individuals are exchanging and spreading these. This hatred is turning into bullets , taking the lives of the innocent people. And unfortunately , again , this is the reality and very well described by the district attorney in in his words.

S1: Now , Care National and Care San Diego have both released statements welcoming this indictment. How are you continuing to work with other leaders and community groups to fight anti-Muslim bias and this white supremacist hate?

S2: We have been working together way before May 18th. We have been working together for many years , not only with Muslim organizations like Care , Council on American-Islamic relations , whether National Office or California offices or San Diego office , but we have been also working with our interfaith partners , with many organizations that , um , you know , reject everything related to violence , everything related to hatred towards any community in our society. We have been working also with our local law enforcement to address these issues of Islamophobia and Thai and anti-Muslim hate. So it didn't start on May 18th. It started a long time ago , and we are even after May 18th , we are still working together to address this issue and to , uh , counter Islamophobia and tie Muslim hate that we see almost everywhere , including our some of our elected officials , all the way from the white House to here in San Diego. Right.

S1: Right. And given that , what do you think needs to be done to prevent this type of violence? Education.

S2: Education. I strongly believe in education , all communities. We need to get educated. When I say education , it doesn't mean that one way education we as Muslims educating others about who we are , our community , our faith , our religion , our cultures , but all of us , we are the components of this very diverse American society , American nation , and we need to know one another. So education is number one. Cooperation is number two. Working together , not only talking and having conversations , but engaging in interfaith work in multi-faith , multicultural , uh , work here in San Diego and everywhere else in the nation. This is how we can combat Islamophobia. This is how we can combat any time , any type of phobia , any type of hatred that resides right here in our society.

S1: What do you think law enforcement can do? Do you think they should be surveilling folks in this type of type of rhetoric more closely?

S2: I believe law enforcement should do their job , and their job is to protect and serve the communities that they serve. Um , and it starts with having a good relationship , a strong relationship with the communities based on mutual understanding , mutual respect and mutual accountability as well. So I , you know , nothing else than serving and protecting , as is the slogan of our law enforcement.

S1: How can the community continue supporting the Islamic Center of San Diego and its healing during this time?

S2: We have received an overwhelming support from almost every organization , especially faith based organizations and clergy and faith leaders. Many of , of course , also of our elected officials who reached out to us and worked with us. Uh , any type of support they can give to the Islamic Center of San Diego and to the Muslim community right here in San Diego. We have received an overwhelming support. We are still working together , cooperating together to address these issues of hatred , and we should continue to do so.

S1: I've been speaking with Imam Taha Hassan , director of the Islamic Center of San Diego. Imam Taha , thank you so very much.

S2: You're welcome. Thank you so much.

S1: That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.