New Jersey Governor Celebrates Ramadan at Local Mosque

New Jersey’s Democratic Governor, Mikie Sherrill, participated in a Ramadan event at a mosque in Paterson, which was led by Imam Mohammad Qatanani. Qatanani has been embroiled in a long immigration battle after facing deportation due to alleged links to Hamas.

During her visit to the Passaic County Islamic Center, Sherrill shared a selfie donning a hijab, capturing a moment with the mosque’s imam. She expressed her gratitude on social media, saying, “Thank you to the Islamic Center of Passaic County for inviting me to celebrate as the holy month of Ramadan comes to a close. We wish our Muslim neighbors a safe, joyful, and peaceful Eid al-Fitr.”

Imam Qatanani, originally from Palestine, has fought against deportation for years, contending that he was wrongly accused of not disclosing past detentions in Israel linked to Hamas. He maintains that he was detained but never convicted of any crime.

Starting in the mid-2000s, federal officials sought to remove Qatanani from the U.S., claiming he misrepresented his background and posed a national security risk. In 2008, an immigration judge ruled in Qatanani’s favor, finding the government’s evidence to be unreliable and concluding that the combination of Israeli court documents did not substantiate claims of terrorist involvement.

A federal appeals court upheld his status in 2025, stating that immigration authorities mishandled attempts to revoke his residency. The court pointed out that the agency exceeded its authority in trying to reverse his legal status.

It remains uncertain if Sherrill was aware of Qatanani’s contentious legal history during her visit. Efforts to obtain a comment from her office have been initiated.