An American imam called the shooting that left five people dead at an Islamic Center in San Diego, California, on Monday, “extremely scandalous”, reports Anadolu.

“We have never experienced a tragedy like this before,” Taha Hassane, who serves as the director of the Islamic Center of San Diego where the incident occurred, told reporters. Authorities said Monday that three victims and two suspected shooters were killed in a shooting incident at the center.

Expressing support for the community, Hassane said all places of worship in the city, including mosques, must be protected at all times.

“It is extremely scandalous to target a place of worship. Our Islamic center is a place of worship. People come to the Islamic center to pray, to celebrate, to learn, not only Muslims, but we have people from all walks of life,” he said.

Hassane said that the morning before the incident, a group of non-Muslims came to the center “just to learn about our faith and culture.”

“So this (attack) is something we never expected,” the imam added.

He expressed deep gratitude for people “who contacted us from all over the country, even from overseas to to express condolences to us as well as to those who offered help”.

Source: prizrenpost