Bangladeshi American Mohammed Akhtaruzzaman Runs for Paterson Mayor as Eid Draws Thousands

Paterson, New Jersey's large Bangladeshi American community is making history: Mohammed Akhtaruzzaman, the first Bangladeshi American ever elected to the Paterson City Council, is now running for mayor — the first person of Bangladeshi origin to seek that office. Alongside this political milestone, Paterson's Muslim community — which includes a substantial South Asian population — celebrated Eid at the city's iconic Hinchliffe Stadium for a first-ever public prayer service.

🗳️ Mohammed Akhtaruzzaman Becomes First Bangladeshi American to Run for Paterson Mayor

The Bergen Record reported that Mohammed Akhtaruzzaman is making history as the first Bangladeshi American to run for mayor in Paterson, New Jersey. Akhtaruzzaman already holds the distinction of being the first Bangladeshi American elected to the Paterson City Council, having won the 2nd Ward seat in 2012 — a victory the Bergen Record described as signaling the growing strength of the city's Bangladeshi voters. His 2012 election came 14 years before his mayoral run, meaning he has spent well over a decade building political experience and community credibility in Paterson before seeking the city's top office. Paterson has one of the most concentrated Bangladeshi American communities in the United States, centered on a stretch of Main Street that has long been known as 'Little Bangladesh.' The community includes restaurant owners, grocery merchants, garment workers, professionals, and long-established families whose roots in Paterson span multiple generations of immigration. Akhtaruzzaman's mayoral candidacy represents not just a personal ambition but a community aspiration: the hope that a city whose demographics have been transformed by South Asian and Muslim immigration might be led by someone who embodies that transformation. The Bergen Record's coverage tracked this candidacy as part of its ongoing attention to the demographic changes reshaping New Jersey's older industrial cities. [5]

🎉 Eid Al-Fitr Brings South Asian Muslim Community Together in Paterson

CBS News New York reported on Eid Al-Fitr celebrations in Paterson, New Jersey, covering a holiday that holds deep significance for the city's large Muslim population, which includes a substantial South Asian — primarily Bangladeshi and Pakistani — community. Eid Al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of Ramadan's month of fasting, is one of the two most important holidays in the Islamic calendar and a major public celebration in cities like Paterson with large Muslim communities. In Paterson, Eid celebrations have evolved from private family observances into large public gatherings that animate the city's Main Street commercial corridor and nearby parks with prayer, festive meals, and reunions. CBS News New York's coverage of Eid in Paterson reflects the mainstream media's increasing attention to the city's Muslim community as a civic and cultural presence rather than simply a demographic footnote. For the South Asian families within Paterson's Muslim community — many of them Bangladeshi Americans who came to the city through chains of migration stretching back decades — Eid is also a moment of deep cultural connection, linking the festival rhythms of Bangladesh or Pakistan with the rhythms of immigrant life in New Jersey. [3]

🪔 Paterson Hosts First-Ever Muslim Prayer at Historic Hinchliffe Stadium

Insider NJ reported that Paterson is hosting its first-ever Muslim prayer service at Hinchliffe Stadium, a historic venue that has become a symbol of the city's ongoing revitalization. The prayer service was organized around Eid Al-Adha — which Insider NJ described as 'the second and the largest of the two main holidays celebrated in Islam' — drawing hundreds of community members to join in prayer. Paterson's Muslim community, Insider NJ noted, is known for its strong bonds and deep commitment to celebrating religious milestones publicly. 'Paterson, renowned for its rich cultural tapestry and strong community bonds, takes great pride in embracing and celebrating religious diversity. The city has a long-standing tradition of honoring and recognizing the importance of Eid Al-Adha,' the outlet reported. Hinchliffe Stadium, a New Deal-era landmark and designated national historic site, provides a powerful backdrop for a community milestone: the first large-scale Muslim prayer event held at the stadium represents both a cultural coming-of-age for Paterson's Muslim community and a symbolic reclamation of a public space that had long been neglected. For the city's South Asian Muslim families, who form the core of Paterson's Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities, gathering at Hinchliffe for Eid carries emotional weight that extends beyond the prayer itself. [7]

Sources: [5] Bergen Record · [3] CBS News · [7] Insider NJ