California Governor Gavin Newsom awarded nearly $200,000 in taxpayer funds to the Islamic Center of San Diego (ICSD), a mosque previously linked to two 9/11 hijackers and whose leader has openly supported Hamas’s October 7 terror attack on Israel. The grant, issued under California’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program, aims to bolster security at religious institutions but has drawn scrutiny due to the mosque’s controversial history.
“Today more than ever, our state stands together to support our communities. Californians deserve the right to worship, love, and gather safely, without fear of violence,” Newsom said while announcing the grants. State records reveal the ICSD has previously received significant funding from the state, totaling over $500,000 in recent years. The mosque has used these funds for security measures, including installing bulletproof glass and hiring armed guards .
The ICSD drew national scrutiny after the 9/11 Commission Report revealed that two hijackers—Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar—attended the mosque before the attacks. An official at the center allegedly helped facilitate a $5,000 transfer from the nephew of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. The mosque also reportedly hosted a welcoming party for the hijackers in 2000.
More recently, Imam Hassane defended Hamas’s October 7 terror attack on Israeli civilians. In a sermon, he referred to the mass slaughter, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 and the abduction of over 200, as “justified” acts of “resistance.” “We cannot accuse somebody who is fighting for his life to be a terrorist. The terrorist is the one who started the occupation, not the one who is defending himself,” he added. These remarks led to his removal from San Diego’s Human Relations Commission.
Hassane’s wife, Lallia Allali, currently teaches courses on “Islamophobia” at the mosque. She previously resigned from a San Diego school district job after she posted a cartoon depicting a Star of David beheading children.
Despite the mosque’s track record, the funding continues, even as California faces a massive budget shortfall. A press release from Newsom’s administration acknowledged that the grant comes amid “significant budget challenges.”
The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, which oversees the grant, also manages the state’s wildfire mitigation program. Newsom recently faced criticism for disbanding Team Blaze—a skilled volunteer firefighting force—a year before catastrophic wildfires hit Los Angeles in January.
In 2023, Newsom’s administration pledged to investigate similar mosque grants for possible hate speech. “If it is determined they have, their funding will be immediately revoked,” said Newsom spokesman Brian Ferguson. “As a matter of principle, the State of California rejects hate speech and discrimination in all of its forms. Such speech is a menace to democratic values, social stability and peace.” Newsom’s office has since declined requests to further comment on the matter.
