Three brothers in San Diego are honoring their father’s memory after he made the ultimate sacrifice to protect children during a deadly attack at a local mosque.
Amin Abdullah, age 51, worked as a security guard at the Islamic Center of San Diego, the county’s largest mosque. According to police, he gave his life to shield 140 students at the mosque school from danger by confronting two attackers in a gun battle and radioing for an emergency lockdown. The violent incident also claimed the lives of mosque elder Mansour Kaziha, 78, and Nadir Awad, 57, an Uber driver and community member whose spouse teaches at the mosque school. Authorities are treating the shooting as a hate crime.
Thursday will mark the funeral services for all three victims.
“When I learned about it … I couldn’t believe it. It didn’t feel real. I was just in shock,” Muhammad Amin Abdullah, 28, said on Wednesday. “But when I learned that his actions saved all the kids … I felt proud, and I felt comfort because I know that’s exactly how my dad would have wanted to go out – protecting people.”
Muhammad joined his brothers Jibreel and Khaled as they welcomed visitors offering sympathy at their father’s residence, sharing memories of a man they considered both their closest friend and a community cornerstone.
Khaled, 24, said his family has drawn strength from the way he died.
“The fact that he was on the front line, trying to defend kids and innocent people, that makes me feel good,” Khaled said. “Calling him a hero is the least we can do.”
Jibreel, 21, described his father as “the kindest person you’d meet.”
“Ask anyone … they’d have nothing but good things to say about my dad,” he said. “Best dad you could ask for.”
The family urged others to honor their father by living with compassion and a sense of service.
“Live your life serving others … and just be kind to everybody,” Muhammad said. “The world would definitely be a better place if people lived like that.”
Their sister, Hawaa, made a similar plea on Tuesday. She told reporters their father “stood against any form of hate.”
Police and FBI have said that they are investigating the attack as a hate crime but have not offered details about the possible motive of the attackers, who took their own lives shortly after the shooting.
