Posted on 09/09/2008 10:39:36 PM PDT by Coleus
PATERSON - Ramadan this year began with a little thanksgiving. On Saturday, a few dozen area Muslims and public officials gathered in the foyer of the Passaic County Administration Building for the county government's lighting of the Islamic crescent moon. The ceremony, now in its 10th year, marks the start of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of prayer and fasting that began this year on Sept. 2.
But while the ceremony was meant to commemorate the 1,400-year-old tradition, the men and women in attendance observed, and praised, a more recent event. On Thursday, a federal immigration judge struck down an attempt to deport Passaic County's most revered sheik, the Imam Mohammad Qatanani of the Passaic County Islamic Center.
Had Judge Alberto J. Riefkohl ruled otherwise, the imam, his wife and three of their six children who were born outside of the United States most likely would have been forced from the country, leaving the area's significant Arabic Muslim community stripped of a leader who has sought to build bridges with the broader public.
The fact that this was not the case - the fact that justice was served, as Qatanani's diverse group of supporters have said - brought joy to those gathered on the ground floor of the dark and cavernous county administration building. "We usually celebrate Eid at the end of Ramadan," said Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah, addressing the crowd and referring to the feast that finishes the Islamic month of fasting and prayer. "But Eid came early for us this year, with the judge's decision to grant the imam's residence in the United States."
Loud applause rippled through the audience that stood before him. Minutes later, a young girl flicked on the tiny lights of the crescent moon that will shine through the Islamic holy month. The immigration case against Qatanani first came to light in February. Agents with the federal Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement attempted to revoke Qatanani's right to live in the country on claims that he lied about prior criminal convictions on his application for American citizenship.
Immigration officials insisted that Qatanani, while living in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, signed a confession while in Israeli prison stating he was a member of Hamas, the militant Islamic group that the United States labels a terrorist organization. But Qatanani, a Palestinian who is also renowned for his close ties to law enforcement and his cooperation with the FBI immediately after the 9/11 terror attacks, denied the charge. He claimed instead that the Israeli army detained him, tortured him and threatened his family until he signed a Hebrew-language document that he did not understand.
ICE officials were not able to produce this document at trial, a factor that led in part to Riefkohl's decision to dismiss the case against Qatanani and deliver a scathing opinion about the federal attempt to deport him. Qatanani, like others in attendance Saturday, said this decision proved to him the fairness of the judicial system.
"I pray this country stays a country of justice and peace, once and for all," he told the crowd assembled around the Islamic crescent, his gentle voice amplified by a megaphone. The non-Muslims in attendance - primarily the elected officials - praised the diversity and tolerance that makes up the fabric of Passaic County's cultural life.
"It is the beauty of America, this cultural tapestry," said Clifton Mayor James Anzaldi. Others praised Qatanani and his congregation for encouraging harmony between different peoples. "The Passaic County Muslim community has reached out and educated the citizens," said Freeholder Greyson Hannigan.
In the case of Qatanani's trial and exoneration, last week's court ruling not only demonstrated why people around the world envy America's judicial system, Muslims on Saturday said. It also promoted the fairness and freedom guaranteed by the Constitution over the fear and discrimination that sometimes rule the day, they said. "In this case, there was no loser," Ahmad Shqeirat, an imam visiting from Tempe, Ariz., said moments after the ceremony. "The imam won. The community won. The city won." "America," he continued, "won."
Love those middle eastern bakeries and grocery stores in south Paterson, however.
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