Supporters say they may be wary of police in future

In March, New Jersey law enforcement brass broke bread with members of the Islamic Center of Passaic County during a Muslim organization's annual brunch in Teaneck.

Less than two months later, the mosque's spiritual leader, Imam Mohammad Qatanani, sat in a federal court fighting deportation orders from the government.

In his 12 years at the mosque, Qatanani has regularly invited local, state and federal policing agencies to speak with his community.

But some leaders in the mosque feel betrayed now that the government seeks to deport their popular cleric. They are also embittered by the prosecution's questioning of the mosque's commitment to transparency with police.

Several mosque members questioned how openly to collaborate in the future with law enforcement, especially the federal agencies that prompted the deportation case.

"Obviously, we're going to be more selective about who we work with," said Salaheddin Mustafa, of Clifton, a member of the mosque and one of Qatanani's closest supporters. "There's clearly a segment of law enforcement that views us as an enemy."

During his four-day trial, which concluded Monday in U.S. Immigration Court in Newark, the prosecution alleged that the imam associated with supporters of terrorism.

Sheriffs in Bergen and Passaic counties testified that their personal and professional relations with Qatanani trump the government's charges. Qatanani has repeatedly invited police officials to the mosque to aid their investigations, learn about Islam and hold a job fair. But a spokesman for the FBI in New Jersey downplayed the agency's reliance on Qatanani and his supporters, saying the imam should be deported if he has terrorist connections.

"He's a good guy, but that stuff doesn't get him off the hook," asked Special Agent Sean Quinn, an FBI spokesman in Newark. "Whatever the court finds (in the case) is OK with us. There's a plain logic to this."

Qatanani, 44, a native of Palestine, faces deportation with his family because the government says he failed to disclose a 1993 conviction by an Israeli military court on charges of assisting Hamas. The imam, who denounced the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks two hours after it happened, denies the allegations, saying he never received any charges.

The imam testified that beginning in 1998, he invited the FBI to the mosque to demystify its work to members. He later asked agents to an interfaith service at the mosque.

"Most people were shocked with this," Qatanani testified during his trial Monday. "After awhile, it became normal."

After Sept. 11, Passaic County Sheriff Jerry Speziale said he dispatched his counterterrorism detective to the mosque to investigate reports that the hijackers lived or passed through Paterson. Speziale found no credible links between the hijackers and the Islamic Center of Passaic County, he said under oath, and instead began dispatching police to the mosque to learn about Islamic culture.

"This is the individual who has always been there for us," said Speziale, testifying in Qatanani's case. "The peace and love within him radiates."

In his testimony, Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles McKenna said visits to the mosque helped him learn that Muslim women who avert their eyes do so out of custom, not suspicion. Other exchanges included a law enforcement job fair at the mosque in 2002, and an annual Ramadan dinner, where North Jersey Muslims broke their fast alongside politicians and police.

But during the trial, the Department of Homeland Security argued that police knew little about Qatanani's life before he came to Paterson. They pointed to the cleric's brother-in-law, Mahmoud Abu Hanoud, a West Bank leader of Hamas who was jailed in Israel and later killed in a missile strike in 2001.

Mosque members sitting in the courtroom gasped when the government tried to paint them as uncooperative with law enforcement. Prosecutor Alan Wolf held up a pamphlet found there after Sept. 11 that outlined what people should and should not reveal to police. He also quoted a 2002 newspaper quote from a mosque elder, Mohammed Younes, where he urged caution about offering personal information to police.

"The FBI is abusing us," said Younes, president of the American Muslim Union organization, as he left the courtroom. "What does my statement have to do with this case?"

On Friday, Qatanani's core supporters met at the mosque to discuss the trial. Some were especially upset about the conduct of about a dozen federal officials sitting in the court. When Qatanani emotionally described the torture he said he underwent in an Israeli prison, agents rolled their eyes and shrugged, according to Mustafa, the Clifton mosque member.

In the coming weeks, the mosque's leadership will contemplate how the institution will work with law enforcement in the future, especially federal agencies, several members said.

Quinn said the deportation case should not affect the mosque's dealings with the FBI.

"No community revolves around one single person," he said. "If the community that Mr. Qatanani leads relies solely on one person to establish its relationship with law enforcement, then that's kind of sad."

The agency has contacts with many other Muslims and has agents who are fluent in Arabic, Quinn said.

When the case concluded Monday, Qatanani warmly shook hands with lead prosecutor Wolf. But his supporters don't feel as conciliatory.

"The community feels betrayed," said Aref Assaf, a mosque member and Arab-American advocate. "This is the guy you have been saying is the voice of moderation, and now you are trying to link him to all these terrorist groups."

Reach Heather Haddon at 973-569-7121 or haddon@northjersey.com.