The Islamic Center of Passaic County is a mosque and Islamic cultural center in Paterson, New Jersey, located on Derrom Ave. It is one of the largest mosques in New Jersey.
| Islamic Center of Passaic County | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Leadership | Mohammad Qatanani and Osama Salhia[1] |
| Location | |
| Location | 152 Derrom Ave, Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Geographic coordinates | 40°55′04″N 74°08′26″W / 40.9176911°N 74.1404299°W |
| Architecture | |
| Date established | 1990 |
| Website | |
| icpcnj.org | |
History
editIn 1990, the Islamic Center of Passaic County was established the in Eastside Park of Paterson. The neighborhood next to it, South Paterson, is home to the largest Muslim community in the United States.[2] The Islamic Center of Passaic County is among the largest Islamic communities in New Jersey, as well as the United States.[3]
In 2019, Governor Phil Murphy visited the Paterson branch. This was the first time a New Jersey governor went to a mosque for a town hall in the history of the state.[4] Murphy's opponent in the 2021 gubernatorial election, Jack Ciattarelli, visited the nearby Omar Mosque.[5]
In March 2022, the ICPC hosted a donation drive for Ukrainian refugees following the start of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The drive received many donations from the Mosque's community along with many non-Muslims in the county.[6][7]
Islamic Center of Passaic County's Branches
editIn 2016, they opened there first branch in Clifton. Some of the Islamic Center of Passaic County's Quran memorization classes, which are divided into 3 levels, are done at the Clifton branch.[8] In 2021, they opened up a third branch in Prospect Park. It is also known as Masjid Younis.[9] The Islamic Center of Passaic County's bookstore is only in the Paterson mosque, which is the original and main branch of the organization.[10][11]
Threat following NYC truck attack
editThe Islamic Center of Passaic County was victim to hate-fueled phone calls following the 2017 New York City truck attack. Omar Awad, president of the Islamic Center of Passaic County at the time said the calls were profane. He also said callers threatened to burn down the mosque, and go to the mosque to kill him. Others said to get out of the country.[12][13]
Interfaith
editMohammad Qatanani has been one of the Imams at the Islamic Center of Passaic County since 1996. He is the founder of "Muslim-Christian Dialogue of New Jersey".[14][15] He also participated in the UPF-USA's ninth weekly Interfaith Prayer.[16] In the past the Islamic Center of Passaic County hosted Interfaith Iftars.[17]
References
edit- ^ "Our Imams". icpcnj.org. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ "Paterson's Palestinians Celebrate Annual Flag Raising At City Hall". www.northjersey.com. Archived from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ "US States by Population of Muslims". world atlas.
- ^ Malinconcico, Joe. "Paterson mosque welcomes Phil Murphy for town hall gathering". ydr.com.
- ^ "JACK4NJ". Facebook.
- ^ Karas, Michael. "Donation drive for Ukrainian refugees at the Islamic Center of Passaic County in Paterson". northjersey.com. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- ^ Beckerman, Jim. "'Extraordinary effort': Volunteers in Paterson collect donations for Ukraine". northjersey.com. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- ^ "2021-2022 programs". icpcnj.
- ^ "About Us". Icpcnj.
- ^ "Islamic Center of Passaic County Book Shipments".
- ^ "Islamic Bookstores". MapQuest. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
- ^ Adely, Hannan. "Police: Paterson mosque gets threats after terror attack". northjersey.
- ^ Kim, CeFaan. "3 NJ mosques receive threatening calls in wake of NYC terror attack". Abc7Ny. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
- ^ "Dr Qatanani". Icpcnj.
- ^ "Mohammad Qatanani". Masconvention. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- ^ Duggan, Tomiko. "Over 1,000 People Participate in UPF-USA's Ninth Interfaith Prayer". upf.
- ^ "Interfaith Iftar Dinner". Retrieved 21 December 2021.