The US House of Representatives has observed a moment of silence for victims of the recent shooting at the Islamic Centre of San Diego.
Congresswoman Sara Jacobs said she rose on the House floor "with a heavy heart" to honour the lives of Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha and Nadir Awad, who were killed after two teenage gunmen opened fire at the mosque complex on Monday.
Jacobs said the Islamic centre is a special place for the Clairemont community, a sanctuary for peace, comfort, and safety.
"And unfortunately, that was ripped away from our community by two people armed with guns and hate," she said.
"This tragedy didn't happen in a vacuum. We let it happen by refusing to actually do something and stop the rise of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate and hatred of all kinds," Jacobs added, noting that the centre has been the target of hate speech and vandalism for decades.
She said the tragedy could have resulted in far greater loss of life were it not for individuals who intervened to protect others, showing "the courage and bravery to stand up in the face of danger, to distract, delay, and even engage with the gunmen to save others."
Jacobs described the attack as not only an assault on the Muslim community but also on broader American values of religious freedom and diversity.
The California Democrat said the violence represented "an attack on pluralism" and vowed that the broader community would stand united against intolerance.
Addressing Muslim Americans directly, Jacobs has expressed solidarity, stating: "We will honour the lives of these great men we lost by coming together and showing that our response to hate is love".
