The San Diego Mosque Shooting

 I would be a hypocrite if I did not address yesterday's tragic shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego. Three people, including a security guard, were murdered by two teenage boys, now identified as Cain Clark and Caleb Velasquez. All indications are that this is a hate crime at the hands of two obviously very disturbed boys, who committed suicide together after leaving the mosque and firing at another person a couple of blocks away.

Though we know who the shooters were, investigators are probing their exact motives. At this point, we know that they had racist attitudes, apparently against various groups, including Muslims. A gas can was found next to their car with a Nazi SS inscription.

There is no excuse or justification for this act, whatever the motives. It hearkens back to the mass murder at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, a few years ago. Some 50 people, all Muslims, were murdered by a young man at two separate mosques. I condemned that action then, just as I condemn this action now.

As I have said and written repeatedly, attacking innocent Muslims and/or mosques is not the solution to the problems we are facing regarding militant Islam. As my readers are well aware, I am a critic of many of Islam's teachings, as well as Islamist organizations like CAIR. I condemn Hamas, Hezbollah, and all violent Islamist groups that spread terror around the world. I have criticized several imams for the words they have spoken. I believe that many mosques in the West are breeding grounds for terrorist ideologies and Islamist supremacism. We must stand against all that, but it has to be done peacefully and lawfully, and innocent Muslims must not be the target for violence as happened yesterday.  We must continue to speak out, but we must always take care that our words do not incite violence.

There will be more to learn about these two boys and their motivation for targeting this mosque. Based on what we already know, it was most certainly motivated by hate. Nobody should excuse or try to explain away this act.