By Jacob Laksin
Newark, N.J. – New Jersey residents may be pardoned for thinking that an admired religious leader and devout man of peace is being persecuted by bigoted government agents in their state.
That certainly is how much of the local media has chosen to portray the ongoing trial of Mohammed Qatanani, an imam at of one of New Jersey’s largest and most controversial mosques, the Islamic Center of Passaic County (ICPC).
To Qatanani’s supporters, his trial is a cruel assault on a man guilty only of preaching “interfaith” harmony. Stoking this sentimental narrative, the New York Times has generously described Qatanani as a “revered imam” whose life has been so interrupted by federal immigration authorities that he must rely on the support and “hugs” of his congregation.
Coverage of the trial itself has come uncomfortably close to cheerleading. “Imam Receives Strong Support in Court,” was how the state’s leading newspaper, the Star Ledger, headlined a recent story from the trial, which did not fail to record one supporter’s breathless effusion that the imam “radiates peace.”
Politicians, too, have rallied to the imam's side. Governor Jon Corzine, who has addressed Qatanani’s ICPC in the past, is among the imam’s most prominent supporters. In his corner, the imam also has a rabbi, Roman Catholic and Episcopalian priests, and police officers who insist that the imam cannot be confused with an extremist. Read more ...
Newark, N.J. – New Jersey residents may be pardoned for thinking that an admired religious leader and devout man of peace is being persecuted by bigoted government agents in their state.
That certainly is how much of the local media has chosen to portray the ongoing trial of Mohammed Qatanani, an imam at of one of New Jersey’s largest and most controversial mosques, the Islamic Center of Passaic County (ICPC).
To Qatanani’s supporters, his trial is a cruel assault on a man guilty only of preaching “interfaith” harmony. Stoking this sentimental narrative, the New York Times has generously described Qatanani as a “revered imam” whose life has been so interrupted by federal immigration authorities that he must rely on the support and “hugs” of his congregation.
Coverage of the trial itself has come uncomfortably close to cheerleading. “Imam Receives Strong Support in Court,” was how the state’s leading newspaper, the Star Ledger, headlined a recent story from the trial, which did not fail to record one supporter’s breathless effusion that the imam “radiates peace.”
Politicians, too, have rallied to the imam's side. Governor Jon Corzine, who has addressed Qatanani’s ICPC in the past, is among the imam’s most prominent supporters. In his corner, the imam also has a rabbi, Roman Catholic and Episcopalian priests, and police officers who insist that the imam cannot be confused with an extremist. Read more ...
Source: FrontPage Magazine
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