FRIDAY, May 9, was a cool and rainy spring day in Newark , New Jersey ; the rain was constant all day. This, however, did not prevent an impressive show of community support for one of New Jersey ’s most respected Muslim leaders (Imam Dr. Mohammad Qatanani) from taking place.
While a large contingent of Muslims and non-Muslim supporters demonstrated their enthusiastic solidarity with Imam Qatanani, from early morning until the time of jumah in the early afternoon, inside the federal building itself a mini-drama was being played out in the immigration courtroom of Judge Alberto J. Riefkohl.
An ex-Israeli judge had testified the previous day for the prosecution. When I walked into the courtroom in the early morning of Day Two, a rabbi and a priest, who had also just arrived, were in the beginning of a discussion on the previous day’s testimony – both agreeing that the government’s star witness looked bad at times. The rabbi also took issue with an inaccuracy attributed to Imam Qatanani by The New York Times - which alleged that the imam had confessed to having been a recruiter for Hamas. (Needless to say, there was no verifiable documentation of the imam’s alleged confession in Israel.)
On Day Two of the proceedings, Rabbi David Senter was the first witness for the defense. He testified that he has known Imam Qatanani for about four years. He spoke about the tentative interfaith journey that began a few years ago which led up to his relationship with the imam – a journey who’s objective it was “to build bridges.” He spoke about how Imam Qatanani brought teenagers into the Jewish synagogue for his first interfaith sedar, and how impressed he was by this, terming it “a great investment” – and demonstrative of the character of the imam.
When asked: “What did
Imam Qatanani bring to the table?” He responded, “He
brought himself. He has an amazing personality, a
warmth, his manner…the way he deals with people.”
The rabbi also spoke quite emotionally about the
impact that Imam Qatanani has had on him personally;
of how on one occasion when he was sick, the imam
visited him in the hospital and brought him flowers.
The rabbi spoke about the
preconceived notions and prejudices that Imam
Qatanani helped him to surmount. He then noted that
major changes in the future – both here and abroad –
will be determined by relationships. He
then stated that “God forbid he gets deported,” he
hopes that whoever replaces him will be able to
continue the work that he’s started.
During cross-examination of Rabbi Senter, the
prosecutor asked if he had any prior knowledge of
Imam Qatanani before he arrived in the U.S. The
rabbi answered, “None.” The prosecutor then quoted
what sounded like a strident in tone dua
(prayer supplication), and asked the rabbi of his
opinion of someone who would hold such a view. This
line of questioning brought objections from the
defense because the supplication was generic and NOT
even attributed to the imam (as something that came
from his mouth).
The rabbi’s response brought an approving reaction from the spectators in the courtroom. He noted that in all faith traditions there are things that might appear unsavory…that there were things in Catholicism (for example) that appear outright anti-Semitic, but he wouldn’t hold this against the pope.
The SECOND WITNESS for the defense was the sheriff of the county, who’s had a long-standing and positive relationship with the imam. While I don’t recall his name, I do recall visiting the Islamic Center of Passaic County (ICPC) a few years ago and hearing this sheriff speak to the community. In introductory remarks (during the hearing), he was described as someone who has worked in some area of law enforcement for most of his adult life. He described the imam as an “open and inviting person” to him as a Catholic.
During cross examination he too was asked if he had any prior knowledge of Imam Qatanani before he came to the United States . “Did you know that conviction documents were presented by Israel against Dr. Qatanani? And did you know he pled guilty to being a member of Hamas?” – the prosecutor asked. The sheriff’s response to these questions was, “No.”
One of the most telling bits of testimony from the sheriff came during cross-examination, when he recounted how - as reports of these allegations began to surface in the media - he had to press the imam to discuss his predicament with him, because the imam said he did not want to “take advantage” (or exploit, for his own personal gain) a relationship with a friend.
The THIRD WITNESS for the defense was an Episcopal priest. Rev. Bill Potter met Imam Qatanani shortly after the attacks of September 11th. Muslims from ICPC visited many church congregations with messages of peace and interfaith tolerance in the aftermath of the tragedy. He also mentioned the “fatwa” that Imam Qatanani issued after the tragedy – which “denounced the attacks as against Islam.”
On a more personal note, he testified to the impact that the imam has had on his family. Turning to Imam Qatanani from the witness stand, Rev. Potter declared, “My 18 year old daughter adores you.” He then told the court, “She was inspired to study Arabic largely because of him.”
During cross-examination by the state, Potter was also questioned on his prior knowledge of Qatanani before his arrival in the U.S. (Did you know? - followed by the usual prejudicial invectives.)
The FOURTH WITNESS for the defense was a U.S. ATTORNEY (who’s name I also unfortunately did not catch). He reportedly met the imam in 2002. Over the years he has “visited the mosque on numerous occasions.” He said to the court, “It’s important for us to have Muslim leaders who are accepting of us, and in this regard Imam Qatanani has been very helpful.” In the process the imam has assisted law enforcement in becoming “more culturally aware of the Muslim community.”
He too, under cross-examination, was questioned on his prior knowledge of Qatanani before his arrival in the U.S.
The FIFTH WITNESS was a Catholic priest. He’s known Imam Qatanani for about 11 or 12 years; and also developed a relationship through the interfaith dialogue process. He spoke of the imam as a man of “honor,” who “trusts, and who is trustworthy” – and how the allegations he has read in news reports “go against the very character of the man” he has come to know.
He brought laughter to the courtroom when he described the impact that Imam Qatanani has had on his family. “He’s the kindest and gentlest person” – and then proceeded to inform the court that one or more of his “kids” had encouraged their dad to become more like him.
The SIXTH WITNESS for the defense was a Muslim sister (a social activist and professional affiliated with a number of social service organizations) who has known Imam Qatanani for about 11 years. She spoke of the imam as someone who has been a strong advocate of women’s rights – from education to direct action advocacy.
The sister - who is of Pakistani heritage, and with children - emotionally spoke about her own personal struggles years ago, and how she had been turned away from the mosque that she previously attended when that struggle was at its height. She testified that she found refuge at ICPC (a predominantly Arab-populated community) because of the leadership of Imam Qatanani.
After this sister’s testimony I took a break and went to the cafeteria for some coffee. Upon my return to the hearing room I was informed that I was needed outside, to make a statement to the large number of supporters who had assembled (to show their support for the imam) IN THE RAIN. After my roughly 10 minute statement to the congregants, and brief interviews with media, I returned to the courtroom to catch the latter half of the testimony of a prosecution witness.
The immigration officer, who apparently served as the case officer for Imam Qatanani’s adjustment proceedings, was an older woman. She testified that Imam Qatanani admitted to having been arrested, charged and convicted in Israel of being a member of Hamas. She claimed that he had been advised by his attorney in Israel to plead guilty; and that he was sentenced to one year, but with the plea agreement only did three months.
When asked by Imam Qatanani’s defense if her office’s interview of Qatanani was audio-taped, her response was, “No.” (Nabil Abbasi, president of ICPC, and someone who accompanied Imam Qatanani to the immigration office for this interview, stated during the break in proceedings that this immigration officer was NOT BEING TRUTHFUL. He was present from start to finish, and these alleged admissions were never made, he noted.
The line of questioning of this witness, and each of her responses, raised troubling questions about our government’s “special relationship” with the Apartheid State of Israel . Indeed, there were two elephants hovering over the room throughout the immigration court proceedings ( ISRAEL , the bigger of the two, and Hamas).
In Conclusion
What makes the government’s case against Imam Dr. Mohammad Qatanani such an uphill battle for them is two things: (1) the temperament of the judge, who comes across as a very fair-minded finder of fact; (2) and the fact that Imam Qatanani has been a contributing member of this society for so many years. Not only that, the imam has established relationships through his selfless works, which have proven to be invaluable for him and the community he represents.
For this writer, if there was one important lesson to come out of Day Two of these shameful (on the part of the U.S government) deportation proceedings, that one lesson would be the importance of character and relationships – the value of truly striving to emulate the character of the Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him), and not just talking it.
(El-Hajj Mauri’ Saalakhan is the Director of Operations, The Peace And Justice Foundation)