Paterson, New Jersey, is “the capital of Palestine in the United States,” according to Mayor Andre Sayegh, at an event on February 28 marking the start of Ramadan.
Sayegh also called Paterson the “fourth holiest city in the world” after Jerusalem, Mecca, and Medina.
He also called the city the "Mecca of New Jersey."
Andre Sayegh was born in New Jersey to a Syrian mother and a Lebanese father.
Paterson is home to a growing Palestinian population with Palestinian flags and Arabic signage reportedly lining its streets.
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Reported supporting organizations
The Hilal Lighting Ceremony where these statements took place was supported by organizations with strong pro-Palestinian ties, such as the Palestinian American Community Center (PACC) and the Islamic Center of Passaic County (ICPC), both of which have faced scrutiny for their controversial pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel rhetoric, according to a JFeed report.
Other pro-Palestinian adjustments in Paterson over recent years have included renaming Main Street to "Palestine Way," pushing the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, and declaring Paterson as a Palestinian-Islamic hub.