Islamberg, New York

Islamberg, New York
Hamlet
Nickname(s): Holy Islamberg
Islamberg

Location of Islamberg in New York

Coordinates: 42°3′7.18″N 75°20′6.14″W / 42.0519944°N 75.3350389°W / 42.0519944; -75.3350389Coordinates: 42°3′7.18″N 75°20′6.14″W / 42.0519944°N 75.3350389°W / 42.0519944; -75.3350389
Country United States
State New York
County Delaware
Town Tompkins

Islamberg is a rural hamlet in the town of Tompkins, Delaware County, New York, United States,[1] founded by Mubarak Ali Gilani, a Pakistani Sufi cleric.

The hamlet was founded in the late 1980s by Gilani and a group of primarily African American Muslims who left New York City, reportedly to escape crime, poverty and racism. They built a community of some 40 family houses, with its own grocery store and bookstore and place of worship, on some land 11 miles (18 km) north of the town of Hancock. Islamberg is the first of a number of communities set up under the direction and tutelage of Gilani.[2] "Holy Islamberg", as residents refer to it, is also the headquarters of the Muslims of America organization. [3]

According to locals, the land previously belonged to a woman from the neighboring town of Deposit, who opened up her home in the late 1970s or early 1980s to disadvantaged young people.[4] Relations with neighboring communities are cooperative.[5]

A number of organizations have made unsubstantiated claims that the community is a terrorist training camp with bunkers, automatic weapons and an airfield.[5][2] Al Arabiya debunked these claims in the first media visit to Islamberg in 20 years.[2] Law enforcement representatives have spoken on the record refuting these allegations, and attesting to the peaceful nature of the hamlet.[5][2][3]

In April 2015, a Tennessee man, Robert Doggart, was arrested for allegedly plotting an attack on Islamberg.[6][7] In November 2015, Jon Ritzheimer, of Phoenix, Arizona, made news for threatening an attack on Islamberg.[8]

References

  1. ↑ ""Cannonsville Reservoir" 7.5 minute quadrangle". U.S. Geological Survey/ACME Mapper. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Al Arabiyah visits Islamberg (part 2). Al Arabiya. January 24, 2010 – via YouTube.
  3. 1 2 Novacic, Ines (July 16, 2015). "Muslim enclave in U.S. battles suspicion, alleged threats". cbsnews.com.
  4. ↑ "Islamberg: A Terror Compound in New York ... or Misunderstood Neighbors?", foxnews.com; accessed May 3, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Laila, Kearney (June 1, 2015). "A tranquil Muslim hamlet in the Catskills - until the attack plot". Reuters. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  6. ↑ Tennessee man charged with plotting attack on Islamberg, talkingpointsmemo.com, May 18, 2015; accessed July 7, 2015.
  7. ↑ "America Snores When Christian Terrorist Threatens to Massacre Muslims", thedailybeast.com, May 18, 2015; accessed May 20, 2015.
  8. ↑ Michaud, Chris (November 29, 2015). "Upstate New York town threatened by Arizona man in online post: reports". Reuters. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
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