Islamophobic Remarks Made By Teaneck Zoning Board Member, Witness Says

TEANECK, NJ — A group representing New Jersey Muslims has asked Teaneck's mayor to censure a zoning board member they claim made racist remarks during discussions on opening an Islamic daycare center.

A witness said Edward Mulligan made a comment "under his breath" about people potentially using camels to travel to the center, court documents shared by the Council on American-Islamic Relations' New Jersey chapter show.

Al Ummah Community Center (AUCC) filed a civil lawsuit against the township, the zoning board, and its members in 2020 alleging discrimination and the violation of religious liberties.

Al Ummah Community Center is located at the former Longfellow School site at 50 Oakdene Avenue, Teaneck, 07666. Court documents show a church occupied the building until the community center bought the building in 2018. The plan was to build an Islamic community center with space for prayer, childcare, recreation, and education.

But, Al Ummah leaders say the township and its zoning board tied the application up in red tape, having drawn-out discussions about parking and traffic while other applications went through at normal speed.

"Without just cause, the daycare application was unlawfully delayed, which resulted in Plaintiffs’ inability to open the daycare on time to accept students," the lawsuit said.

The plaintiffs also say they were urged to use an acronym for the center and "minimize the fact that it would be an Islamic Center so as to 'fly under the radar' and not incur the ire of the Town and its residents and officials."

Attorney Atif Rehman testified in U.S. District Court on June 17 that he was sitting next to board member Mulligan at a 2019 meeting when he made the comment about camels, which Rehman said he found "very, very shocking."

"It was in reference to how the vehicles that would be used for pickup and drop off, and I think his point was, possibly camels being used for pickup and drop off," Rehman said in court.

Rehman also said Mulligan asked him, "Would you trust these people with your children?"

Selaedin Maksut, the executive director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations' New Jersey chapter, issued a statement Friday calling for Mayor Jim Dunleavy to condemn Mulligan's remarks and express his support for the Muslim community.

“While disappointing and wholly unacceptable, this isn’t entirely surprising," Maksut said in a statement. "We’ve seen this same scenario play out in several other New Jersey towns. We call on Teaneck Mayor James Dunleavy to condemn Edward Mulligan’s anti-Muslim remarks and to support his Muslim community in its quest for a community center."

Lawyers for the township's zoning board of adjustment declined to comment. Dunleavy and Mulligan had not responded to Patch's request for comment as of Monday afternoon.

As Maksut mentioned, other Islamic communities in the Garden State have gone to court against municipalities they claim showed anti-Muslim attitudes.

In 2017, the Bernards Township Planning Board agreed to pay $3.25 million to settle lawsuits with the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge and the U.S. Department of Justice, which were both filed after the planning board voted down the application to build an Islamic mosque on Church Street.

Bridgewater Township, also in Somerset County, faced a similar issue with the Al Falah Center. Al Falah had proposed building an Islamic mosque in at 1475 Mountain Top Road in Bridgewater, but was denied. The Center in turned sued the township in April 2011 claiming anti-Islamic attitudes as well.

Similar lawsuits were filed in Camden County and Hudson County.

"Every religious group has the right to establish houses of worship and community centers, and Muslims are no exception to this," Maksut said. "At the end of the day, Islamic centers, like the one that Al Ummah is proposing, uplift the community they serve. It is of no benefit to delay and deny Muslim groups this right because, as we’ve seen in Bayonne, Bridgewater, Basking Ridge, Washington Township, and Vineland, eventually, civil rights and procedure will win.”

Teaneck claimed the plaintiffs never asked for permission to build a religious institution or assembly, and filed to dismiss the case several times. The township recently substituted in the firm of Inglesino, Webster, Wyciskala, and Taylor LLC after Beattie Padovano, LLC withdrew as counsel for the Zoning Board of Adjustment, court documents show.

The next action in the case is a telephone status conference scheduled for Dec. 21, 2022, records show. On Friday, Judge Edward S. Kiel ordered all parties to file a joint proposed scheduling order for Oct. 7.

Maksut told Patch that Al Ummah offers some resources for the community now, but is waiting for permits to operate fully.