NJ mayors demand White House apology after Muslim mayor was snubbed

More than 20 New Jersey mayors have signed a letter of support for Mohamed Khairullah, the Prospect Park mayor who was denied entry to the White House Eid celebration on May 1.

Khairullah said he was just miles away from the event when he got a call saying Secret Service denied his security clearance and that he could not attend the event with other prominent Muslims and President Joe Biden. Khairullah said he learned from the Council on American-Islamic Relations that his name and date of birth appeared on a secret FBI watchlist.

The letter calls for an explanation, an apology and the dismantling of a controversial FBI watchlist.

"As mayors who value transparency and the U.S. legal system of due process, we urge you to provide Mayor Khairullah with substantive reasons as to why he was denied admission," the letter states.

"We also ask you to issue a formal apology to Mayor Khairullah, initiate a review of his status on the watchlist, and to extend another invitation to him to meet with President Biden to proudly represent his constituents. Finally, we urge the Biden administration to disband the unjust watchlist once and for all as it unfairly profiles, mistreats and discriminates against 1.5 million people."

The New Jersey chapter of CAIR convened with mayors and other elected officials Friday at Darul Islah Mosque in Teaneck to announce a call for action, including the release of the letter and a resolution in solidary with Khairullah. The letter, which has bipartisan support, was addressed to Kimberly Cheatle, director of United States Secret Service, and Carlos Elizondo, deputy assistant to the president and social secretary.

Khairullah, who began his fifth consecutive term in January, is the longest-serving Muslim mayor in New Jersey and possibly the nation. He has served over 17 years as mayor and over 20 years in elected office. The Syrian-born mayor is also a former volunteer firefighter.

He has suspected he was on a watchlist since 2019, when he began to be detained, searched and questioned while traveling. That year, he was stopped at JFK International Airport after returning from Turkey with his family and detained for three hours. During that time, he said his phone was seized and he was asked if he met with any terrorists.

The FBI would not confirm whether he was on a watchlist, nor give an explanation. About 1.5 million people are on the federal terror watchlist, which includes mostly Arab and Muslim names, according to CAIR, which reviewed a leaked copy of the list earlier this year.

"Local governments across the United States are asked to be transparent," the mayors' statement continues. "The federal government must do the same. Thank you very much for your time and attention. We respectfully look forward to your timely response."

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In Prospect Park, the borough council passed a resolution Monday in support of their mayor. Introduced by Councilman Anand Shah, the resolution said the White House actions denying the mayor, then failing to explain that denial, were "un-American" and "unconstitutional."

The resolution asks Biden to invite Khairullah to the White House to discuss the use of watchlists and the need for transparency and due process. It also calls for an investigation into the watchlist program to ensure transparency and compliance with constitutional rights.

On Friday morning, signees to the letter included the following mayors: Mike Pagan of Teaneck; Keith Kazmark of Woodland Park; Steven Fulop of Jersey City; Chris Vergano of Wayne; Ravi Bhalla of Hoboken; James Damiano of Little Falls; Randy George of North Haledon; Richard Rigoglioso of Garfield; Andre Sayegh of Paterson; Sheena Collum of South Orange; John Lane of Hawthorne; John P. Labrosse Jr. of Hackensack; and William Kubofcik, former mayor of Prospect Park);

By the end of the day, more New Jersey mayors added their names to the list including: Ras Baraka of Newark, Ted Green of East Orange, Kurt Peluso of Fair Lawn, Randy George of North Haledon, Thad Kobylarz of Chatham, Colleen Mahr of Fanwood. Former mayors Guy Piserchia of Long Hill and Michael Soriano of Parsippany, along withMount Laurel Deputy Mayor Fozia Janjua and Moorestown Deputy Mayor Quinton Law Moorestown also signed.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Muslim mayor snub: NJ officials demand White House apology