CAIR-NJ, Paterson Mosque Respond to Hate Crimes, to Hold Community Lunch and Forum Promoting Safety and Mutual Understanding
(SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ 11/04/2022 ) – On Saturday, November 5, the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ) and partner organizations will hold a community lunch and forum to promote safety and mutual understanding. This event comes in response to three separate attacks on Masjid Abu Bakr (Muslim Congregation of New Jersey) in Paterson, NJ.
In December of last year, the muezzin of the Muslim Congregation of New Jersey was physically attacked as he gave the call to prayer, and in August, worshippers were pelted with rocks as they prayed. Previously, the masjid faced verbal harassment and individual community members continue to face this, with the most recent incident occurring two weeks ago.
SEE: CAIR-NJ Condemns Bias Attack at Paterson Mosque, Welcomes Prosecutor’s Charges
SEE: CAIR-NJ Condemns Alleged Bias-Motivated Attack Targeting Paterson Mosque
WHEN: Saturday, November 5, 2022 at 12:30pm
WHERE: 300-306 Preakness Ave. Paterson, NJ 07502
(Free and open to the public)
SEE: Community Forum and Lunch at Masjid Abu Bakr
In a statement, CAIR-NJ Executive Director Selaedin Maksut said:
“An attack on a masjid is a red line for us all.
“We invite community members — Muslim and non-Muslim — and elected officials to learn about Islam directly from Muslims, with the objective being to address and reduce anti-Muslim biases and incidents like the ones we’ve seen targeting this specific masjid.
“Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the world, and New Jersey has the largest percentage of Muslims in the U.S. It’s disappointing to see anti-Muslim incidents continuing on an upward tick, but through direct advocacy and community engagement, like this forum, we hope to see less and less incidents and eventually none at all.”
Participating Organizations:
Islamic Center of Passaic County
Masjid Adam
Masjid Salahuddin
The New Jersey Division on Civil Rights
American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey
Black Lives Matter Paterson
Bangladeshi American Women’s Development Initiative
Women and Families Ascending Association
Attending Guests:
Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ 9th District)
Elder Jerome Bishop Lane Jr., Presbytery of Northeast New Jersey
Imam Abdul Quddoos Farra’d, Masjid Salahuddin
Imam Mohammad Qatanani, Islamic Center of Passaic County
Imam Mohammed S. Uddin, Islamic Congregation of North Jersey
Joe Johnson, Policy Counsel, ACLU-NJ
Mayor of Paterson André Sayegh
Passaic County Commissioner Pat Lepore
Passaic County Commissioner Terry Duffy
Passaic County Sherriff Richard Berdnik
Paterson City Councilman Alaa “Al” Abdelaziz – 6th Ward
Paterson City Council Vice President Alex Mendez – 3rd Ward
Paterson City Councilwoman – At-Large Maritza Davila
Paterson City Councilman – At-Large MD Forid Uddin
Paterson City Council President Shahin Khalique – 2nd Ward
Prospect Park City Council Member Alaa Matari
Prospect Park Elementary School Board Member Mr. Niaz Nadim
Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed T. Khairullah
Radwa Elzokm, Constituent Advocate, Office of U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ)
Tisha Leonardo-Santiago,MS, The New Jersey Division on Civil Rights
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CONTACT: CAIR-NJ Executive Director Selaedin Maksut, 908-267-3119, smaksut@cair.com
