NJ suit: Imam behind mosque planned near ground zero didn’t fix problems in apartments he owns

Imam of mosque planned near ground zero sued in NJ

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — An imam at the center of a dispute over plans to build a mosque near ground zero is being sued by a northern New Jersey community where he owns two apartment buildings.

Newark’s The Star-Ledger newspaper reports the lawsuit was filed Monday in state Superior Court by Union City, which is just across the Hudson River from New York and has about 70,000 residents. It says the lawsuit charges Feisal Abdul Rauf hasn’t addressed complaints by tenants and orders from the city to correct code violations.

The lawsuit identifies Rauf as sole officer of building owner Sage Development LLC. One building has been vacant since a 2008 fire. The other contains 16 apartments.

The newspaper says repeated calls to Rauf’s home telephone in North Bergen were met with busy signals.

Rauf’s cell phone voicemail inbox isn’t accepting messages.

Information from: The Star-Ledger.