Tragedy struck a holiday party in San Bernardino, California recently on December 2^nd, 2015. Fourteen people were killed and twenty-two injured when a married couple went into the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino and began shooting. Following the incident, the couple fled in an SUV, leading to a four hour police pursuit that ended in a shootout in which both suspects were killed. After investigating, authorities were able to link the couple to Islamic-extremist motives and connections to ISIL, making this event the latest in a string of terrorist attacks relating to Islamic State. This incident comes less than a month after the terror attacks in Paris from November 13^th, 2015, in which 130 people died and 386 were injured.

This incident garnered mixed responses from people all over the world. President Obama condemned the incident, calling it an act of terrorism. In his statement, Obama also called for more gun control in the United States, citing the fact that the suspects were able to legally purchase a gun despite being on a No Fly List. Many took to social media to express their grief, using the hashtag #PrayForSanBernardino to show solidarity with those affected by the tragedy. Also following this incident and the Paris incident, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump infamously stated that, should he get elected into office, he would propose a “ban on all Muslims.” This statement drew a whole new controversy surrounding Trump and his candidacy.

Furthermore, following this incident there was an increase in anti-Islamic hate crimes. Many mosques became the targets of arson, and many Muslims in America faced persecution in light of the San Bernardino attacks. Despite this, many Muslims reached out to those affected by the tragedy. Out of the rubble of the shooting rose the “Muslims United for San Bernardino” crowdfunding campaign, which thus far has raised over $200,000 for the families of the victims of the San Bernardino massacre, making it the single most successful crowdfunding campaign American Muslims have ever done.