Over the past several  months we have engaged in many behind the scene actions which prompted tangible and  positive results for our community.

The election of Mohamed Khairullah to become the first Arab and Muslim Mayor of Prospect Park, NJ  required  persistent pro active involvement  in the campaign rounds, the issuance of press releases and the utilization of  god offices with the media. The Herald News published several stories which were met with our dismay for they missed the all important point of election of a first generation Arab American to be mayor and the heinous attempt by bigot to discredit the Mayors reputation by tying him to the hijackers of 9-111. Not only did we engage the reporter but we also contacted the Editor who came through wit ha very impressive editorial.

Equally important was our  personal involvement which convinced  the  Associated Press to write a very positive and actually supportive story. The article shown below was carried by tens of news papers, TV stations and media outlets worldwide.

Because of our first name basis relationship with the Herald News, we got a great editorial written by Mr. Alfred Doblin o November 18, 2005.  The editorial was followed by a very supportive letter from our own, Salaheddin Mustafa.
We have come a long way from obscurity. We are now on the radar of both friends and foes.

More work is still needed. Witness the front page article on the Heritage Commission. True , it was a great article and  to place it on the front page required an editorial decision. Still, why did the writer have to seek the comments of the Jewish Anti Defamation League?  Since when  the ADL  response is the litmus test for things we can have or be denied? We had a long chat with the paper and I can assure you that their views have been changed.

Regards,

Aref

Here is the AP story

Muslim becomes mayor after anonymous flier alleges terror ties

By WAYNE PARRY
The Associated Press

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

 

Here is the editorial from the Herald News

http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkxNCZmZ2JlbDdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5NjgxNzc5OQ==



Rotten language from the political gutter
Friday, November 18, 2005
EDITORIAL BY THE HERALD NEWS

Neither the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office nor the state office set up to deal with bias or hate crime believe that recent mailings to voters in Prospect Park denouncing the mayoral candidacy of Mohamed Khairullah rise to the level of prosecution under that New Jersey statute.

Given the nature and context of the flier, and given its timing just before the Borough Council was set to fill its mayoral vacancy, that reasoning seems sound and is easy enough to follow. The threshold of free speech under the First Amendment is necessarily high, and it should remain so, whether most of us happen to agree with the ugliness of that particular speech or not.

The anonymous flier sent out in regard to Khairullah is certainly ugly and mean-spirited enough. Hateful would be an accurate descriptor of its language. Among other things, it claims Khairullah, an Arab-American, has "ties to the people responsible for the horrible attacks of 9/11." It goes on to label the then councilman (and now mayor) as "a betrayer living among us," a person "who will try to poison our thoughts about our great country."

Clearly, the mailings titled simply, "To All," on one side, and the Spanish version "A Todos," on the other, were politically motivated.

In one light, the viciousness is unsurprising coming, as it did on the heels of one of the most negative gubernatorial campaigns in New Jersey history. Voters complained, and their patience with attack politics grew stale as millionaires Jon Corzine and Doug Forrester hammered away at one another, using obscene amounts of their own cash to sully each other's name and reputation.

If it were simply a matter of politics, it might not be so bad. Sad as it is to say, the greater electorate has grown numb to shameless "Swift Boat" style campaign ads.

Embarrassingly for the people of Prospect Park, though, the Khairullah flier marks a new low; it uses racial and ethnic stereotypical language to play on fear, in a very personal way.

Granted, the Bush administration has done its share of fear-mongering since Sept. 11, fomenting anger and class anxiety by arbitrarily throwing out words like "terrorist" whenever it happens to fit a political need.

Even so, for anyone in this day and age to so baldly accuse another within their own community as being a traitor to America is both shameless and dangerous.

Whether there is a "hate crime" here to be prosecuted seems unlikely, but at the least it represents a frightening development to all who have regard for an open, diverse society.

The cowardly person(s) behind this flier should be exposed and brought to account for sewing discord and fear, and for trying to intimidate elected officials.

We live in volatile, perilous times. There is enough real anxiety among good people in this world right now without need for someone, whatever the motivation, compounding it through mean-spirited, irresponsible behavior.

It is a given that in this day and age, people like Mohamed Khairullah open themselves up to verbal and written attack the moment they decide to seek political office. In civilized societies, however, there are recognized political standards, lines not ordinarily crossed.

The author or authors of this despicable flier have crossed one of those lines. They might not stand guilty of any statutory crime, but they have damaged the thread of humanity that runs through a fair and decent community.


Copyright © 2005 North Jersey Media Group Inc.

 

Here is the letter by Salaheddin Mustafa, Tuesday, November 29, 2005, Herald News

Khairullah flier more than gutter politics

Re "Rotten language from the political gutter" (editorial, Nov 18.) The editors should be applauded for a principled denunciation of the vicious and hate-filled flier sent to damage Prospect Park's new mayor, Mohamed Khairullah. The writer is absolutely right to call it a new low in what is supposed to be a civilized political discourse.


But editors and the wider community miss the point when they compare this type of a direct assault to the negative gubernatorial campaign or the Swift Boat ads.

In the campaign for governor, candidates essentially accused each other of moral deficiencies - ranging from marital infidelity to corrupt business practices. In the Swift Boat ads the reprehensible authors attempted to impugn Sen. John Kerry's record as a war hero to lessen the comparison that voters might make to President Bush's meager military service.

In the abhorrent letter regarding Khairullah, the author(s) seek to link him to the most violent and deadly attack committed on American soil. This was done for no other reason than that he is an American of Arab decent and of the Muslim faith.

This attack is no different than countless other incidents against Arabs and Muslims - whether it be racial profiling, employment discrimination, or statements made by public officials such as U.S. Rep. Peter King, who claimed that "80-85 percent" of American mosques were harbors for potential enemies from within.

Although several New Jersey officials, including Sen. Jon Corzine and Congressman Bill Pascrell Jr. denounced this statement, King suffered no real consequences.

The point of the letter writer, people like King, and columnists like Daniel Pipes, is to smear all Arabs and Muslims and intimidate them from engaging with their fellow citizens. The targeting of Khairullah is a direct message to other Arabs and Muslims who may wish to engage in the political process.

The hate-mongers assume that if someone like Khairullah - a man who has ably served his community as an elected official, volunteers with the Fire Department, and is a well-admired high school teacher - is targeted, then others will be intimidated.

However, thanks to dedicated citizens of Prospect Park, the very supportive members of the city council, and Mayor Khairullah's courage in defying the hate-mongers, the borough stands to become a wonderful example of how an informed and enlightened city can reach new heights with elected officials from all of walks of life.

Salaheddin Mustafa, vice president, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, N.J. chapter