"We are heartbroken and outraged by this terrorist attack on Muslims in places of worship, and we mourn for the victims and their families,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Hate violence against Muslims is a global epidemic, fueled by the toxic combination of Islamophobia and xenophobia that has led to tragedies here in the United States and in nations around the world. While in these moments, only the attackers are directly responsible, there is broader climate of hate that encourages and inspires deadly extremism such as this. We call on politicians who traffic in dangerous anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant hate speech, including Donald Trump, to immediately stop the fear-mongering and divisive politics that can have deadly consequences. Now is a time to be united against hate — not engage in the ‘both sides’ rhetoric that only serves to legitimize extremists.”

Griffin continued, “On this day, and every day, we join in solidarity with the Muslim community, including LGBTQ Muslims, to honor the victims of hate-fueled violence with action and to combat hate and bigotry in all of its forms.”