Most people don’t spend much time thinking about Paterson, New Jersey. It’s time, though, that they start to do so, because unfolding there is the perfect example of the fact that many Muslims believe the Islamic doctrine that says you don’t immigrate to assimilate; you do so to conquer.

Paterson is a town with a long history. The Dutch took the region from the Acquackanonk tribe and the British took it from the Dutch. After the Revolution, the town itself was founded, it was one of the first great manufacturing towns, thanks to the energy derived from the Great Falls of the Passaic River. Eventually, Paterson was home to textile mills, firearm manufacturers (Samuel Colt started, but didn’t stay, there), and breweries. Industry meant immigrants, but, until recently, these immigrants wanted to assimilate to the American way.

But things are changing in Paterson. Of its almost 160,000 people, 25,000 to 30,000 are Muslims, almost all of whom are clustered in Paterson’s south side. This means it has the second-largest Muslim population in the U.S. per capita—that is, coming up on 20% of the population—putting it second only to Dearborn, MI, which clocks in at 55% Muslim.

X screen grab.

At 20%, the Muslims in Paterson aren’t the largest group demographic (Hispanics are, at 62%), but Muslims do something that other minority groups don’t: They vote. They now have three council members, making them 30% of the voice on the council. One can assume that the remaining council members in this strongly Democrat town are sympathetic to Muslim issues.

Here’s what happens in an American city with a Muslim population of almost 20% and a town council representation of 30%:

Muslim elected leaders with deep ties to radical Islamic organizations are prioritizing Islamic identity over American values, steering Paterson away from its historical roots. Every policy change, symbolic gesture, and political appointment moves the city closer to becoming an Islamic enclave.

The latest development? The Hilal Lighting Ceremony, a city-endorsed event marking Ramadan, held in the heart of “Little Palestine”—Palestine Way. This was no mere religious event but a thinly veiled political rally for Palestinian nationalism.

Officially renamed in 2022, Palestine Way cements Paterson’s transformation into a de facto Palestinian enclave, complete with flags, street signs, and businesses mirroring the very nations many residents supposedly fled. The area is home to an estimated 15,000 Arabs, dominated by Palestinian presence. Main Street, now a mile-and-a-half-long strip lined with Palestinian flags, Arabic signs, and halal restaurants, is more than cultural representation—it is a territorial claim.

Lest you think this is just another case of an American community celebrating its ethnic culture (like St. Patrick’s Day celebrations for Irish Americans or Columbus Day celebrations for Italian Americans), the same article details a suspicious group of actors behind the celebrations:

The event was backed by many groups with concerning histories:

• Islamic Center of Passaic County (ICPC) – A mosque known for radical sermons. Imam Baker Assaf has acknowledged that Islamic law prescribes throwing homosexuals off roofs but claims they refrain from doing so in America because it is not an Islamic country. Imam Mohamed Hassaballa has called Christians ‘idolaters’ and spoken about Muslims ‘overtaking disbelievers.’ Hamas-linked CAIR official Ayman Aishat has used the mosque to solicit donations while demonizing U.S. politicians and defending pro-Palestinian activism.
• Omar Ibn Al-Khattab Mosque – A religious institution with previous ties to controversy.
• Palestinian American Community Center (PACC) – An activist group lobbying for radical pro-Palestinian policies in Paterson.
• National Arab American Medical Association (NAAMA) – While presented as a professional medical organization, NAAMA has engaged in advocacy efforts that extend beyond healthcare, aligning itself with pro-Palestinian political movements and using its platform to promote activism that favors Islamic and Palestinian interests over American policies.
• Palestinian American Community Center (PACC): this group is not simply a cultural or social organization—it is a political entity pushing a radical pro-Palestinian/Hamas agenda while operating within the United States. It has actively lobbied for pro-Palestinian policies, organized radical demonstrations, and served as a platform for dangerous anti-Israel and anti-Jewish activism.

You really need to read the whole article to get the flavor.

The town’s mayor, an Arab Christian, was also all-in on the Palestinian celebration, boasting that “Paterson is the capital of Palestine in the United States of America” and that “Paterson is the fourth holiest city in the world, Jerusalem, Mecca, Medina, and then Paterson.”

[X’s embed feature is still dead after yesterday’s massive denial of service attack, but you can see all the speeches here, none of which are about being part of America. Instead, all are about a foreign territory.]

In other words, rather than being about American patriotism in the grand old style of the melting pot, this was a declaration of fealty to a foreign territory.

The new South Paterson neighborhood even has its own welcome sign, which has a telling message in the line boasting “From Paterson to Jerusalem.”

That sign, in claiming dominance over Jerusalem, describes the end of Israel for it’s just another iteration of the chant that, “from the river [the Jordan] to the sea [the Mediterranean], Palestine will be free.” In addition, the bit about “From Paterson to Jerusalem” also carries more than a hint of “worldwide Islamic caliphate” with it.

As the leftists like to say, America is a country of immigrants. However, the immigrants who built this nation came here so that they could become Americans. Muslims, per the Koran's mandates, are coming here so that America can become Muslim.