Islamic Center of Escondido Arson & Hate Crime Attack

Police are investigating a fire that broke out at 3 a.m. Sunday morning at the Islamic Center of Escondido as arson and a hate crime. Fortunately, someone was inside the mosque and put the fire out before firefighters.

Limited Damage; New Zealand Shooter Referenced

One side of the mosque was scorched, but there was no apparent fire or smoke damage to the front or other sides of the building. Police said the suspect left a note referencing the attacks at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, that killed 50 worshippers.

Funds for Repairs & Security 

Like many young mosques in America, the Islamic Center of Escondido has just basic security. After the costs of the damage are covered, remaining funds can be used as the mosque sees fit for security improvements and building relationships with the local, larger community. 

Vigil Tonight - Sunday, March 24, 2019, 8:00PM

Updates: 

Below are links to articles and updates on the situation

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/islamic-center-escondido-mosque-epd-efd-sdso-reported-arson-unit-507585851.html

We are local activists: Ramla & Dustin

Ramla Sahid, Founder & Executive Director of PANA 

Ramla is the founder and executive director of the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans — PANA. Led by the communities it serves, PANA is building a powerful movement community of Muslim, former refugee and newcomer families better equipped to take on rising authoritarianism and inequity, including heightened anti-refugee sentiments and renewed attacks against these communities. Ramla believes in the power of people and brings over a decade of organizing experience advancing state and local initiatives that support health and racial equity. 

Ramla's family was resettled from Somalia as refugees in 1993.

Dustin Craun, Executive Director of CAIR San Diego

Dustin Craun is a writer, community organizer, scholar, and digital media strategist. His work in digital media has been featured in over 200 global publications, and his writings on race, philosophy, and Islamic studies have been published in academic journals and popular publications. He is the founder of Beyond Borders Studios, a digital creative agency, and one of the Co-founders of MPower Change, one of the largest Muslim led social and racial justice organization in the US. He has worked in faith-based community organizing and building community institutions for the last fifteen years. He has traveled extensively around the world in 25 countries and lived and worked in Malaysia, Ghana, Morocco, and Mexico. He is currently finishing two books for publication: White Benevolent Innocence: Race and the Construction of White Identity 1492-2018 and Decolonizing the Heart in an Upside Down World.