Mikie Sherrill, New Jersey’s Democratic governor, visited a Paterson mosque, at a Ramadan event recently. The New York Post reported that the imam of the mosque has fought deportation over alleged ties with Hamas.
Sherrill posted photos of the event on X, writing, “Thank you to the Islamic Center of Passaic County for welcoming me to join their celebration as the holy month of Ramadan comes to a close. I wish our Muslim neighbors a safe, joyous, and peaceful Eid al-Fitr.”
Here she was seen wearing a hijab and taking selfies. In one of the photos, she was seen sitting with Imam Mohammad Qatanani in conversation.
Thank you to the Islamic Center of Passaic County for welcoming me to join their celebration as the holy month of Ramadan comes to a close.
I wish our Muslim neighbors a safe, joyous, and peaceful Eid al-Fitr. pic.twitter.com/kmrkFSMQdw
— Governor Mikie Sherrill (@GovSherrillNJ) March 20, 2026
The response to the post on social media has been mixed. One user commented, “Ok, now visit any Catholic Charity location. Or attend a Catholic Mass wearing a prayer veil. You are pro-equity, right??”
However, another wrote, “We Muslims are delighted to have you as our governor. You are as good as we expected from your leadership.”
Fox News reported that Imam Mohammad Qatanani is a Palestinian-born cleric, and has been in a long-running legal fight with U.S. immigration authorities. The government tried to deport him for many years over alleged ties to Hamas, which he denied.
The accusations also include his not disclosing his past detention in Israel, which he also disputed, saying he was detained but not convicted.
In 2008, an immigration judge ruled in Qatanani’s favor, saying the government’s evidence was not strong enough. The judge also did not place much trust in the Israeli documents and found no proof of terrorism on Qatanani’s part.
Previously, when Mikie Sherrill was sworn into office, she placed her hand on a copy of the Constitution rather than a Bible. According to The Washington Stand, this move reflected her views and her plan to keep religion and government separate.
On this day, she also took several shots at Donald Trump, as reported by New Jersey Monitor.
🚨 BREAKING: New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill was sworn in on a historic Constitution copy owned by the state’s first governor, not a Bible.pic.twitter.com/0FYUhkjj14
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) January 20, 2026
In her speech, she mentioned, “This election proved that the people of New Jersey recognize the parallels. That we see a president illegally usurping power, unconstitutionally enacting a tariff regime to make billions for himself and his family, while everyone else sees their costs go higher. Here, we demand people in public service actually serve the public instead of buying themselves planes and cars and extorting money.”
She further added, “I want you to know that I will be fighting for you. And I hope, New Jersey, you’ll remember me when you open your electric bill and it hasn’t gone up by 20 percent. I can promise you, it won’t be because I waste your money on a ballroom at Drumthwacket.”
