The Islamic Society of Monmouth County (ISMC), also called Masjid Al Aman, is a mosque based in Middletown, New Jersey. The mosque offers the customary religious services of a mosque as well as several social and family services. 1 2
The mosque gained the attention of local press in 2017 for opposing then-President Donald Trump’s travel ban targeting nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries. 3
ISMC is most well-known for its leading imam, Reda Assayyid Shata, who was at the center of an exposé published by the New York Times and an investigative journalism project published by the Associated Press (AP) that uncovered New York Police Department surveillance of Shata and other prominent Muslims in New York in the years after 9/11. 4 5
Religious Activities and Community Initiatives
The Islamic Society of Monmouth County offers the customary Muslim prayer services that occur both daily and weekly, including Friday prayer. The mosque also celebrates Muslim weddings and funerals, operates a Sunday school for Muslim youth, and offers a part-time Hifz school for older Muslim school children. Other services include zakat, which is a Muslim call to social engagement and charity to help those in need. 6
ISMC also offers several social and family services, most notably through its partnership with the Five Before Five Foundation, a family counseling nonprofit equipped to support the mental health of the community. 2
Opposition to Trump
In 2017, after President Donald Trump signed an executive order temporarily barring refugees and immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States, representatives from the Islamic Society of Monmouth County participated in a 300-person interfaith prayer service in opposition to the travel ban. Hazim Yassin was the Islamic Society’s spokesperson at the event, although his name does not appear on the ISMC webpage. Attendants of the demonstration equated Trump’s travel ban to a “Muslim ban.” The service was attended by local Jewish rabbis and Christian ministers who expressed their support for the Muslim community in New Jersey. Hesham Orabe, a board member at ISMC, expressed the gratitude of the entire Monmouth Islamic community for the interfaith support at the event. 3
Imam Reda Assayyaid Shata
Reda Assayyaid Shata is the imam of the Islamic Society of Monmouth. Shata was born in Kafr Al-Battikh, Dumyat, Egypt in 1968. He has a bachelor’s degree, a post-graduate diploma, and a master’s degree from Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, from which he is also pursuing a Ph.D. in Islamic Da’wa. He has traveled the world preaching at mosques and universities, and his lectures can be found online. 7
Before Joining ISMC as the head imam, Shata worked as a sharia teacher in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 1990 to 1995; as an imam and lecturer for the Egyptian Ministry of Islamic Affairs from 1996 to 2000; as an imam and lecturer for the Islamic Center at Stuttgart, Germany from 2000 to 2002; and as an imam and lecturer at Masjid Mus’ab bin Umair (the Islamic Society of Bay Ridge) in Brooklyn, New York from 2002 to 2006. 8 He is also a regular preacher as the Islamic Center of Passaic County in Paterson, New Jersey, a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel mosque with ties to terrorism, most notably to Hamas. 9 10
During his time at Masjid Mus’ab bin Umair (the Islamic Society of Bay Ridge) in Brooklyn, New York, Shata was surveilled and monitored by the New York Police Department along with other Muslim leaders. The surveillance was part of increased police measures to find and combat terrorism in the United States following the Al-Qaeda terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. The surveillance was uncovered through a series of New York Times articles by Andrea Elliot that won a Pulitzer Prize for Feature Reporting in 2007. 5
Elliot’s series, “An Imam in America,” traced the life and work of Shata and painted him as a moderate imam who preached a more pro-Western, liberal interpretation of Islam. 11 Critics of Elliot and Shata claim that her report presented Shata in an overly favorable light and ignored his alleged ties to Hamas and support for Palestinian nationalism. 12 For her work, Elliot and Shata appeared together on Charlie Rose’s television show. 13
In 2011, the New York City Council held a hearing during which it questioned then-New York Police Commissioner Mark Kelly about the surveillance. Kelly defended his anti-terrorism taskforce claiming it followed investigative leads impartially and without regard to racial or ethnic profiling. However, a 2012 Associated Press investigative article found that Kelly had coordinated his efforts with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and had assigned a network of “rakers” to ethnic neighborhoods and places of worship to conduct surveillance. The article uncovered that Shata was under surveillance, even while he dined with then-New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg and discussed his support for America. The Associated Press won a Pulitzer Prize for the article in 2012. 4
Other Leadership
Mohamed Adam is the president of the Islamic Society of Monmouth County board of directors. 1
Kahil Mitwally is vice president of the Islamic Society of Monmouth County board of directors. 1
References
- About. ISMCNJ. Accessed November 10, 2024. https://ismcnj.org/about/
- Family Services. ISMCNJ. Accessed November 10, 2024. https://ismcnj.org/family-services/
- Cervenka, Susanne. “Monmouth residents show solidarity with local Muslims.” APP. February 3, 2017. Accessed November 10, 2024. https://www.app.com/story/life/faith/2017/02/03/middletown-mosque-rally/97394986/
- “AP series about NYPD surveillance wins Pulitzer.” Associated Press. April 16, 2012. Accessed November 10, 2024. https://www.ap.org/media-center/ap-in-the-news/2012/ap-series-about-nypd-surveillance-wins-pulitzer/
- Goldstein, Joseph. “City Council Grills Kelly on Police Surveillance of Muslims.” New York Times. October 6, 2011. Accessed November 10, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/07/nyregion/councilmen-grill-nypd-leader-on-surveillance-of-muslims.html
- Home. ISMCNJ. Accessed November 10, 2024. https://ismcnj.org/
- “Home.” Sheik Reda Shatta’s Official Website. November 10, 2024. http://www.redashata.com/
- “Curriculum Vitae of Sheikh Reda Assayyid Shata” Sheik Reda Shatta’s Official Website. November 10, 2024. http://www.redashata.com/English/index.php?page=bio
- Hooper, Ibrahim. “CAIR-NJ Joins 42 New Jersey Muslim Organizations Condemning Injustice Against Palestinians, Calls on Elected Officials to Act.” CAIR. June 11, 2021. Accessed October 20, 2024. https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-nj-joins-42-new-jersey-muslim-organizations-condemning-injustice-against-palestinians-calls-on-elected-officials-to-act/
- Islamic Center of Passaic County. Investigative Project on Terrorism. Accessed October 20, 2024. https://www.investigativeproject.org/mosques/402/islamic-center-of-passaic-county
- Elliott, Andrea. “An Imam in America: A Cleric’s Journey Leads to a Suburban Frontier.” New York Times. January 28, 2007. Accessed November 10, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/nyregion/28imam.html
- Bozell III, L. Brent. “The Pulitzer Racket.” Bozell Columns. April 17, 2007. Accessed November 10, 2024. http://archive.mrc.org/BozellColumns/newscolumn/2007/col20070417.asp
- “’An Imam in America.’” Charlie Rose. July 3, 2007. Accessed November 10, 2024. https://charlierose.com/videos/11237