November 13, 2005

PROSPECT PARK, N.J. - The anonymous flier mailed to households days before a new mayor was to be chosen was direct and devastating in its claims: A Muslim council member, one of three candidates for the post, was "a betrayer living among us" with ties to the 9/11 terrorists.

The mailing said Mohamed Khairullah "should not be living in our clean town" and "will try to poison our thoughts about our great country."

But the letter failed to derail his candidacy; the Borough Council chose Khairullah in a 4-0 vote Wednesday night, making him one of only two Muslim mayors in New Jersey.

"The people of Prospect Park are great people," said Khairullah, 30, a high school teacher. "I'm just happy to have this opportunity."

Arab-Americans and Muslims make up about 15 percent of this half-square-mile borough's population of nearly 5,800; Hispanics account for about 40 percent, with Caucasians and African-Americans representing most of the remainder.

The mayor's seat was vacated last month when Will Kubofcik stepped down because his family moved to Bloomingdale. The local Democratic party nominated three candidates to fill the remainder of the four-year term, which expires in December 2006. Khairullah, a Syrian native and former Saudi Arabian resident who was first elected to the council just two months after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, was one of the three nominees.

In the mailings, the anonymous author said Khairullah has made public comments "which show his ties to the people responsible for the horrible attacks of 9/11."

Khairullah called those claims baseless and disgusting, and said they endangered the safety of him and his family. He said the flier probably referred to - and misrepresented - comments he made at a pro-Palestinian rally in Paterson last year in which he said American Muslims need to do their part to affect change in the Middle East, either through political activism or economic boycotts.

"I just couldn't believe someone would stoop down to that level," he said. "It's one thing to attack me, but to attack me in terms that place my safety and the safety of those around me in grave danger is really low."


The mailing is similar to one that went out the night before the 2004 election to voters in Bedminster, accusing township committee candidate Zaheer Jan and his running mate of being funded by "foreign nationals, not local residents." Jan, who was born in India and grew up in Pakistan, said it was a scare tactic designed to make people fear he might have terrorist ties; he lost the election by 14 votes out of nearly 3,600 cast.

"At least this one had a happy ending," Jan said of the Prospect Park mailing. "There is too much bad-mouthing going on these days. It's really scary that this is happening in our country."

Aref Assaf, president of the Denville-based American Arab Forum, decried the flier, but said Khairullah's appointment as mayor is a step forward for Muslims in New Jersey politics.

Government and religious leaders say they know of only one other Muslim currently serving as mayor in New Jersey, Wayne Smith of Irvington. Mohammad Ali Chaudry served as mayor of Bernards Township last year, but committee members take turns serving as mayor, and a different member is mayor this year.

"This is a hopeful sign that a first-generation Arab-American and Muslim can rise to such a prominent position," Assaf said. "It's a sign of things to come for our community. We are very much a part of this gorgeous mosaic we call New Jersey."

Khairullah's first official act as mayor came on Thursday when he chaired a meeting of municipal department heads to look for ways to reduce expenses, and improve recreational opportunities in town.

"The two main complaints in town are `My taxes are too high,' and `There's nothing for people to do here,'" he said. "Cutting expenses will definitely help us with the taxes. It's like going to a store; you want to get the most you can for your money."

He said he hopes to run for a full four-year term once his current term expires.

"I'm testing the water right now," he said. "I just want to see what it feels like to be mayor first."


November 13, 2005 10:09 AM