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Residents urge reversal of borough display ban after crescent lighting blocked
Summary
Several residents asked the council to reconsider a borough policy adopted January 1 that prohibits third‑party displays on public property after the annual crescent (Ramadan) lighting was denied sponsorship; the borough administrator said the policy was adopted to manage park use and legal exposure.
Three residents — Mustafa Kamal, Zahab Khan and Awad Hilal — spoke during the hearing of citizens to ask the council to allow the crescent lighting event in Rutherford or to sponsor the display.
Mustafa Kamal, who said he lives on Jackson Avenue, described the lighting as both a religious and cultural occasion and said it brings visitors and economic activity: “For the past thousand 400 years, we've been celebrating Ramadan as a cultural event ... it brings a lot of business to Rutherford itself,” he told the council.
Zahab Khan, a Rutherford High School student who said his brother Usman secured approval for a crescent…
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