Jersey City Islamophobia Resolution Gets Pulled For Revisions

Jersey City NJ

16 July, 2021

2:47 PM

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JERSEY CITY, NJ — A resolution condemning Islamophobia in Jersey City was pulled for revisions at Wednesday night's City Council meeting. The pull represents an opportunity for the Muslim community to offer input, something Ward D Councilman Yousef Saleh said should have happened before the resolution was brought to the council floor. Saleh raised the point at the meeting that the resolution did not offer concrete steps to combat Islamophobia. "We don't want the resolution to co-op the Black Lives Matter movement — it should describe Islamophobia in its entirety, and it should include the original suggestion to make Eid a recognized holiday," Saleh said. Ward E Councilman James Solomon introduced the resolution after a friend, Atif Qadir, proposed a change. Qadir, a Hoboken resident, told Patch he was struck by the need for a resolution in Hudson County after he heard about a hate crime in Canada. "In the What's App groupchat that I have with my family, what struck us the most was that, if something like that were to happen in the U.S. it would be less shocking, because hate crimes like that happen here," Qadir said. He knew Solomon from past political campaigns and reached out to him in his quest to have something done in the area. "I called every politician I had in my phone," Qadir said, "If something can be passed in Jersey City then other cities nearby can say 'Look, we can do something like that too." Saleh, the only and first Muslim council member in Jersey City, said the need for a resolution is immense, but this process showed the need for the affected community to have a say as well. "Now that my community has fought so hard for a seat at the table, I just think you should always yield the floor to people within that community," Saleh said. He noted that he initially was not part of the resolution process with Solomon, aside from an introductory email sent to other councilors from Solomon. The two councilors had a "candid" and "thoughtful" conversation about the resolution, which led to the decision for revisions. "Councilman Saleh made some thoughtful points about the need for more substantive outreach, and I completely agree — he had points well taken about the language used," Solomon said. In the revision process, Saleh will take the lead. He said he is in the process of reaching out to members of the Muslim community. In the new resolution, Saleh hopes to add contributions of prominent Muslims in Jersey City history, a definition of Islamophobia and its effects on Jersey City, as well as a recognition of Eid as an official holiday. The resolution could be back on the council floor as soon as August, but both Saleh and Solomon said the timing isn't as important, rather that it's done right. "As someone who is Muslim and grew up in Jersey City post 9/11, I've experienced Islamophobia and know people who have experienced it," Saleh said, "It's important that the communities affected are involved."