prominent Muslim leader in New Jersey accused by federal immigration authorities of having ties to terrorists has won his fight to remain in the United States.
A judge ruled Thursday that Mohammad Qatanani and his family can legally remain here.
The 44-year-old Palestinian has been the leader of the Paterson-based Islamic Center of Passaic County since 1996.U.S. immigration authorities had sought to deport Qatanani on grounds that he failed to disclose on his green card application a prior arrest and conviction in Israel for being a member of Hamas -- a group classified as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.Qatanani, who came to New Jersey on a religious visa in 1996, unsuccessfully applied for permanent U.S. residency in 1999. U.S. immigration officials denied his application, contending that the imam once had terrorist ties to Hamas, a terrorist group, and didn't disclose an arrest and conviction by Israeli security officials during his visit to the West Bank in 1993.
Qatanani says he was detained, not arrested, by the Israelis and has never been a member of a terrorist organization.
No comments :
Post a Comment