Community Members Pack Piscataway Twp Council Meeting Demanding Answers for Anti-Muslim Flyer; Sen. Bob Smith Issues Apology

Piscataway, NJ — It was standing room only at the June 13, 2019 Piscataway Township Council Meeting, where a packed house of residents from all faiths, ages and backgrounds from the Township and neighboring communities gathered in support of Dr. Atif Nazir, who was attacked in an Anti-Muslim flyer circulated last month during the Democratic Primary election.  The flyer was paid for by Sen. Bob Smith, who lives in and represents Piscataway, and was circulated by the wife of Mayor Brian Wahler. The letter is signed by Township Councilman Kapil Shah, Board of Education member Nitang Patel, and Kalpesh Patel of the Zoning Board. The flyer also features a photo of the Mayor, Councilwoman Michele Lombardi and children at a public, Township-sponsored community clean up event.

More than 50 members of the community attended, carried signs and wore t-shirts with the popular slogan “Hate Has No Home Here.” Friends, neighbors and interfaith leaders from Piscataway, Franklin, East Brunswick and other municipalities asked the Mayor and Council members, including Mr. Shah, to explain why they named Dr. Nazir, who was not a candidate in the election, and to apologize for the dog-whistle use of the term “radical” in the flyer that was distributed only to Indian-American homes.

Sen. Bob Smith issued a letter, which was read by Dr. Alex Kharazi, co- founder of the NJ Interfaith Coalition, offering his “unequivocal apology” that he “was not sensitive to the implications that the word ‘radical’ along with Atif Nazir’s name, would engender for some readers of the letter.” In his public remarks, Dr. Nazir asked that all apologies be written and sent to people in the same language as the original flyer.

“I am very thankful for all of my community members who came out tonight to stand up for unity, love, peace and inclusiveness. We are a very diverse community including Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Jewish, black, white, brown, and yellow–like a beautiful sample of a mini global community, with all aspects of diversity,” said Dr. Nazir.

“They all are here for a clear message: there is no space for hate here. I am the person who was labeled as a radical leader trying to “take over our town government” in the anti-Muslim flyer, in an attempt to create hate on the basis of religion in my home town of Piscataway.  This is the town where I am living with my family and actively serving the community. The letter was signed by councilman Kapil Shah, school board member Nitang Patel and Zoning Board member Kalpesh Patel.   Unfortunately, it was funded by my own sitting state senator Bob Smith, distributed by first lady Paulette Wahler and other Democrats, and directed to the Gujarati-speaking community to divide us on the basis of religious belief.”

Councilman Shah attempted to defend his role by saying he had to been to the local mosque six times and produced a copy of the Quran as an example of his support for the Muslim community.  The crowd responded by chanting, “Shame!” and continued to do so, as person after person approached the podium to speak out against Shah, Wahler and the leaders of the Piscataway Democratic Organization.

Erum Shakir, Chair of the East Brunswick Human Relations Council, addressed the Council and asked whether Piscataway had a Human Relations Council.  The Council did not respond to her inquiry.  Shakir noted that the intention of a Human Relations Council is to celebrate diversity, which was certainly not being celebrated by Piscataway officials.

The full text of Dr. Nazir’s remarks, photos and the video clips of the meeting are currently available on the Central Jersey Progressive Democrats’ Facebook page.  Additional video and photos will be available on the group’s website, www.centraljerseyprogressivedemocrats.org, said Mindy Walsh, a spokesperson for the organization. CJPD, which helped organize the event, also sponsored an online petition in support of Dr. Nazir.  Ann Bastian, a CJPD member, read a few of the 400 signatories of the petition into the public record.  The council meeting was live streamed on Facebook, and has received more than 3,000 views.  Dr. Nazir also recently filed a complaint with the School Ethics Commission against BOE member Nitang Patel for his role in the flyer.

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