'Best dad in the world': Daughter pays tribute to 'hero' father killed in San Diego mosque shooting
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA: The daughter of the "heroic" security guard has shared a moving tribute to her father, Brian Matthew Climax, known as Amin Abdullah, calling him "the best, absolute best dad in the world" after he was killed during a tragic mass shooting at a San Diego mosque on Monday, May 18.
Speaking to reporters, Hawaa Abdullah honored her late father's legacy, remembering a man who sacrificed his life to ensure community safety and protect innocent children and worshippers.
Amin Abdullah’s daughter remembers slain mosque guard as hero dad
Hawaa remembered her father as a deeply devoted family man who cared about education, faith, and raising his children well. She further stated that he always put his family first and wanted his children to achieve great things in life.
"My name is Hawaa Abdullah. Brian Matthew Climax, known as Amin Abdullah, was my father. My dad. He was a loving father, husband, son, brother, and uncle," she said.
"To me, my dad was a role model. He was a best friend. He was the best, absolute best dad in the world. He was my protector. He talked to me about the world."
She added, "He was all about education. He got his high school diploma, and he dreamed more for us. He wanted us to move forward and get more of an education and become scholars. Not only was he an amazing father, he was a good son."
Daughter vows to carry on Amin Abdullah’s legacy after mosque shooting
Hawaa explained that her father took his job very seriously and spent his days watching over the community with total dedication.
Hawaa recalled how she would sneak away from school just to drive by and see him working, noting that he often skipped his meal breaks because he was worried about safety.
"I would come here, drive by these very streets. He would be so vigilant in protecting the children. Sometimes he didn't even want to eat. He wanted to save his food till after he left the job, because he was afraid that if he went on his break, something bad would happen. My dad was the number one advocate for safety and keeping our community safe. He stood against any form of hate. He took his job seriously to protect everyone here," she shared.
Daughter thanks community for support
Even in her deep grief, Hawaa asked the community to come together just as her father would have wanted.
She explained that he did not care about people's differences or religious backgrounds, but instead treated everyone with basic human kindness.
"He would want our community to stand together as one. That's exactly what he would want," Hawaa said.
"And I hope this moment, we can all come together, and to be kind to one another, and to remember who he truly was, regardless if you were a Muslim. Okay, if you were Christian, if you were Jewish, if you had no faith, he didn't care. He would treat you human to human. Allah says, when one door closes, another one opens.
All about communities and help and support we have received, shows us another door has been opened."
She further thanked the community during their time of crisis, "We are so grateful for the community pitching in to support our family right now. And we truly hope from the bottom of our hearts that we can continue to live our father's legacy and to make this world safer, better for children, better for all of us, no matter our orientation, what we look like."
