Would-Be Muslim Youth Center Burns to the Ground in Paterson

July 25, 2005

Source: North Jersey Media Group

http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk0NSZmZ2JlbDdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5NjczMTkxMiZ5cmlyeTdmNzE3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTM=

On July 25, 2005 the North Jersey Media Group reported, "It was to be a Muslim youth center, a place for people to meet and mingle, but after a fire ravaged the building Sunday, it was nothing more than a toppled pile of charred bricks. A fast-moving blaze broke out around 4 p.m. and within 30 minutes had destroyed the historic warehouse at West Railway and Genessee avenues. The outer walls did not buckle under pressure, but everything inside succumbed. Three stories collapsed into one, and the wooden interiors fed the fire's fury even more... Tucked away inside South Paterson, across the street from the city's outdoor produce market, the youth center would have been in the heart of North Jersey's Muslim community. Nearly 25,000 Muslims live in a four-mile radius. But since there was nothing inside the building, and no utilities hooked up, some were left wondering if this was arson."