Archbishop Elpidophoros and U.S. religious leaders condemned the armed attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego

Archbishop Elpidophoros of the American Archdiocese of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, together with the heads of leading religious denominations in the United States, issued a strong condemnation of the armed attack on the Islamic Center in San Diego. The spiritual leaders emphasized that violence motivated by religious hatred is an attack on all of humanity and called for strengthening interfaith unity to ensure public safety and social cohesion.

According to the Vima Orthodoxias news portal, the shooting incident occurred on May 19 on the grounds of the Islamic Center, which houses the region’s largest mosque and the Al-Rashid School. In a joint statement released by the Commission of Religious Leaders of New York (CORL), representatives of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities expressed deep solidarity with the victims. «We stand united to condemn the horrific acts of violence against the Muslim community in San Diego,» the text of the document reads.

The appeal emphasized that «violence fueled by religious or ethnic hatred is an attack on each and every one of us.» The religious leaders noted that believers and students should not live in fear for their lives when visiting religious buildings and educational institutions. This initiative takes on special significance against the background of FBI data indicating the persistence of high levels of hate crimes in the United States.

Recall that on June 22, 2025, during the Sunday service in the church in honor of the Holy Prophet of God Elijah in Damascus (Syria), a member of the radical Islamist organization «Islamic State» committed a bloody terrorist attack that killed 22 people. The terrorist stormed into the temple, opened fire on people, and after shooting blew himself up with an explosive device attached to his body.