A do-over to get it right this time.
Eight years after a judge ruled in his favor, a revered Paterson cleric will return to court on Monday to once again fight deportation as federal authorities pursue allegations that he lied on his green card application about a conviction by Israeli authorities.
Imam Mohammad Qatanani, spiritual leader of the Islamic Center of Passaic County, known as a voice of moderation in New Jersey, broke the news to his congregation at services at the mosque Friday afternoon.
“I know that justice will prevail and that everything will be in the right way. I believe in the judicial system in this country,” Qatanani said.
Immigration authorities sought to deport Qatanani on grounds that he didn’t disclose an alleged arrest and conviction in Israel for being a member of Hamas — a group classified as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.
Qatanani denied ever having ties to Hamas and said he was detained, not arrested, by the Israelis during a trip to his native West Bank in 1993. Israelis never told him he was convicted of a crime and he never saw a judge, he said. Qatanani and expert witnesses had said Israelis routinely detained Palestinian men at the time.
After coming to the U.S. from Jordan in 1996 on a religious worker visa to lead the Paterson mosque, one of the largest in New Jersey, Qatanani rose to prominence by forging bonds with leaders of different faiths and with law enforcement.
“The imam showed and proved to the community at large and to everyone that he is not only deserving of becoming a citizen, he is an exceptional citizen of the U.S.,” Nabil Abbassi, chairman of the mosque’s board of trustees, said Friday afternoon as he informed Qatanani’s congregation of the new trial. “He is the kind of citizen the U.S. needs. … We see that through his service and his messages and reaching out to whoever needs help.”[…]
Qatanani said he could work and live elsewhere, but his six children, three of them born in the U.S., have made their lives here. Also, he does not want to leave the people he serves. He fears it would send the wrong message to the community and especially youth if someone they admire is deported.