The Imam Qatanani Story

1.      Pursuing a Life in the U.S.

Imam Dr. Mohamad Qatanani, the spiritual leader for the largest Islamic center in New Jersey- the Islamic Center of Passaic County (ICPC)- has been struggling for the past three years to live the basic quality of life that so many of us take for granted.

The Imam’s family, a family of eight, has been established in the United States for the past twelve years. In July of 2006, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services denied the family’s adjustment of status application and the Imam and his family were put into removal proceedings. The basis for this denial was a detention of the Imam in 1993 by Israeli authorities when he was attempting to visit his family. During this era, mass detention for Palestinians was common practice whenever political turmoil in the region arose. The Imam was never charged with a crime and never appeared before a judge; he was merely detained while trying to visit his family.

Because of this, the Imam, his wife and his oldest three children’s application for residency in this country have been in limbo for the past three years and neither he nor his wife have been able to have a driver’s license for the past three years. His wife Sumayah, a local teacher, has not been able to drive herself and her children to their school. Recently, his youngest daughter became ill late at night and he had to walk with her to the nearest hospital because he could not take the car. Furthermore, his oldest son Ahmad, now applying for college for an honors track medical program, was denied a scholarship based on his residency status.

2.      A Pillar in the Community

Imam Dr. Mohamad Qatanani came to the United States with his wife and three children in 1996 with the hopes of building a promising future for his children. His youngest three children were born in the United States and are U.S. citizens.

For the past twelve years, Dr. Qatanani has worked as the Imam of the largest mosque in New Jersey, the Islamic Center of Passaic County (ICPC), advocating for  peace and tolerance within the larger community. Immediately after the tragic events of September 11^th, the Imam issued a Fatwa (religious ruling) against violence and terror and condemned the acts of September 11^th. In addition, he organized blood drives at the Islamic center for the victims of the bombing, urging community members to participate in them.

Imam Qatanani has worked tirelessly as a community advocate and proponent of Social Justice by working to improve local schools, founding social service organizations including W.A.F.A House, a non-profit protecting the rights of battered women, and reaching out to at-risk youth. 

3. Calling for Tolerance and Interfaith Unity

Before the arrival of the Imam, the Christian-Jewish-Muslim dialogue was virtually nonexistent. Now it is a thriving project which encompasses clergy members across the spectrum.  Imam Qatanani has been a leading figure in the "First Annual American Clergy Leadership Conference" in 2004, the Inauguration of the Bishop of the Episcopalian Diocese in Newark, and numerous interfaith Christian-Muslim-Jewish dialogues. He has hosted numerous open-houses at ICPC where prominent Christian and Jewish clergy attended.

The Imam was also involved in inviting leading political and law enforcement authorities such as US Congressmen, US Senators, County Sheriffs, Chiefs of Police, FBI Officials, Judges, Prosecutors, etc., to open up communication channels between the Muslim community and law enforcement authorities. In fact, he was the first to open the NJ Senate with a recitation of the Holy Quran. He has received many personal recommendation letters from leading politicians and law enforcement officials including Congressmen Bill Pascrell.

3.      Americans 4 Qatanani- A Plea for Help

The Imam’s case has troubled concerned citizens both locally and nationally. "Americans For Qatanani" (A4Q) was established by Americans who value freedom, democracy and justice, to advocate the Imam’s case. This coalition is a grass-roots effort not affiliated with his legal team. Rather, it is a joint effort of people of all faiths who feel that the Imam, who has worked so hard to promote social tolerance and understanding between our different communities, is indispensable to our great country, the United States of America.

If you would like to join this effort, visit www.americans4qatanani.org to sign your petition and pledge your support.