San Diego mosque attack: racist interpretations of European history are inspiring extremists

The Islamic Center of San Diego on May18, a few hours after the shooting. Leonard LMT/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

On Monday, May 18, two assailants, a 17 and an 18 year old, attacked the Islamic Center of San Diego, the site of both a mosque and school, killing three adults. The assailants were wearing Nazi SS insignia, and had the words “race war” written on their weapons.

The attack underscores European history’s centrality to the global far right’s discourse and ideology. It was the latest deadly manifestation of the weaponisation of European history to justify violence in America in the present.