NJ mayor calls his city the U.S. ‘capital of Palestine’

🔻Many Paterson residents are Muslim
🔻Sister city in Palestine
🔻Mayor’s comment sparks reaction

PATERSON — A comment made by the city’s mayor to mark the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan set off a firestorm of internet reaction.

Paterson has been home to New Jersey’s largest Muslim population for a number of years and currently has three Muslim city council members.

On Feb. 28, Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh gave remarks at a widely attended Hilal lighting ceremony.

“Hilal” is the Arabic word for crescent moon — viewing it is the official start for each lunar month, including Ramadan. The crescent moon and star, together, are a widely recognized symbol of Islam.

There are now 60 communities in New Jersey that observe a Hilal lighting to mark important Islamic holidays, Sayegh said.

About seven minutes into the event, he said, “I’m not the one who said it, but I heard people say that Paterson is probably the fourth most halal or holiest city in the world. Jerusalem, Mecca, Medina and Paterson, New Jersey.”

The comment drew applause as the next speaker took to the podium, who said that South Paterson is now known as “Little Palestine.”

As the third largest city in the state with roughly 156,000 residents, Paterson’s Muslim population is at least 30,000, according to older estimates.

Nearly two years ago, Paterson signed a sister city agreement with Ramallah, Palestine, during a June 2023 ceremony. Ramallah is considered a cultural hub of Palestine.

Sayegh, a Democrat, is serving his second term as Paterson mayor. He became the first in 16 years to win a consecutive reelection in 2022.

Around 40 minutes into the ceremony, Sayegh returned to the microphone and added “Paterson is the capital of Palestine in the United States of America.”

Nearly two weeks later, the New York Post, Jerusalem Post and AOL.com were among online publications to quote the mayor as a headline story.

The Jerusalem Post ran the story under an antisemitism category.

Sayegh's comments were highlighted around the same time as the controversial arrest of a green card-holding Columbia University graduate and pro-Palestinian activist, as feds say he is a Hamas sympathizer.

The basis for the arrest was one of the executive orders signed in January by President Donald Trump, which was called an "Executive Order to Combat Anti-Semitism."

In it, Trump vowed to deport Hamas sympathizers and revoke student visas, saying, “To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you."

Mahmoud Khalil was detained this weekend by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and was being held at an ICE detention center in Louisiana as of Tuesday, Time reported.

Khalil graduated from Columbia with a master’s degree in December. His wife, a U.S. citizen, is eight months pregnant, the same report said.

On Monday, a protest in New York City at Foley Square was aimed at demanding Khalil's release.

“We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on social media platform, X.

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