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

 

END     

CONTACT: CAIR-NJ Executive Director Selaedin Maksut, 908-267-3119smaksut@cair.com