A Message of Grief and Solidarity from MFSA
Resources for Immediate Support
Student Support: Aggie Mental Health website for resource options through the Student Health and Counseling Services and the Crisis Text Line.
Faculty and Staff Support: Academic and Staff Assistance Program, which serves the Davis and Sacramento campuses.
Inclusive Excellence shares the following letter written jointly by the Muslim Faculty and Staff Association (MFSA) employee resource groups on the Davis campus and UC Davis Health. In moments of profound grief, our Principles of Community remind us to “strive to build and maintain a culture based on mutual respect and caring.”
We continue to uphold California's anti-discrimination and adhere to UC Davis anti-discrimination policies to support inclusive practices for all persons. We stand firmly against Islamophobia and “confront and reject all manifestations of discrimination.” We encourage our entire community to stand together to create and uplift spaces for advocacy, belonging, and healing.
The well-being of the UC Davis community remains our priority. Thank you for doing your part to foster a campus climate that is welcoming and inclusive.
Dear MFSA Community,
We are writing to you with heavy hearts after the horrific shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego this week. We grieve the lives of Amin Abdullah, Nadir Awad and Mansour Kaziha, and we hold their families, loved ones and the entire San Diego Muslim community in our prayers.
As Muslims and as chairs of the Muslim Faculty and Staff Association at UC Davis and UC Davis Health, we are deeply impacted by this tragedy, and we know our community is feeling its weight. We are grieving alongside you and holding our community close. Many of us are carrying fear, anger, sorrow, exhaustion and heartbreak right now. Please know that you are not alone.
Our masjids are meant to be places of worship, refuge, safety and community. No one should have to fear violence in a sacred space. We condemn Islamophobia, anti-Muslim violence and hate in all its forms. We also recognize the very real toll that these acts of violence and hatred take on Muslim communities everywhere, including here at UC Davis and UC Davis Health.
We are deeply grateful to our allies, friends and colleagues in the non-Muslim community who have reached out with care, solidarity and support. In moments like this, that support matters. We look forward to continuing to work together with people of all backgrounds and communities to build a country -and institutions-where everyone can feel safe, protected, respected and free from hate.
To our Muslim colleagues, students, trainees, patients, and families: we are thinking of you. We hope you and your loved ones are safe. Please check in on one another, make space for grief and seek support in whatever ways feel right for you.
May Allah grant Amin Abdullah, Nadir Awad and Mansour Kaziha the highest levels of Jannah (paradise). May He grant their families sabr( patience and resilience), comfort and strength. May He protect our communities from hatred and harm, and may He help us continue to stand together with compassion, courage and care. Ameen.
With grief, solidarity and love,
Erum Abbasi Syed and Dr. Hiba Hamdan
Chairs, Muslim Faculty and Staff Association
UC Davis and UC Davis Health