Man accused of bias attack at Paterson mosque during call to prayer
A Paterson man has been charged in connection with an alleged bias attack at the Islamic Congregation of North Jersey in December.
Edward Wright, who was arrested Feb. 22, allegedly entered the mosque on Preakness Avenue on Dec. 23 and shoved and struck a prayer leader while yelling in a threatening manner, Sheriff Richard Berdnik said.
The suspect had been railing against the call to prayer at the mosque, also known as Masjid Abu Bakr, which is conducted on a loudspeaker. He allegedly said, “This needs to stop,” “You guys need to go somewhere else” and “I don’t want to hear that [expletive] every day,” the sheriff said.
Wright, 57, allegedly pushed the man from the back, slapped a microphone from his hand and struck him in the shoulder, Berdnik said. The victim in the alleged assault was a muezzin, an assistant to the imam who issues the call to prayer, said Burhan Uddin, a mosque board member.
The suspect had also come to the mosque a week before the incident and yelled about the call to prayer, Uddin said.
In March 2020, the Paterson City Council voted to approve changes in Paterson’s noise control ordinance that allow mosques to broadcast the Islamic call to prayer five times a day. The measure set off heated debate, although officials said state law already allowed exemptions to noise ordinances for religious services.
When Wright allegedly entered the mosque the first time, people tried to talk to him about the practice.
“Everyone was telling him if he has a problem or objection, he should go to the city and tell them,” Uddin said. “People explained to him that what we were doing was within our rights.”
Detectives from the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office investigated the incident and arrested Wright in front of his Paterson residence. He was charged with simple assault and bias intimidation and released pending a court date. The matter was referred to the Bias Crime Unit at the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, Berdnik said.
Mosque-goers were alarmed by the incident, especially elderly people who walk alone to the mosque, Uddin said. The mosque, which has a mostly Bengali congregation, draws about 400 to 500 people for Friday prayers and more during religious holidays, Uddin said. He said he was relieved that a person had been arrested and grateful to the Sheriff’s Office for its efforts.
Hannan Adely is a diversity reporter covering Arab and Muslim communities for NorthJersey.com, where she focuses on social issues, politics, bias and civil rights. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
SOURCE: https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/passaic/paterson/2022/02/28/paterson-nj-mosque-man-charged-alleged-bias-incident/9324576002/