In a move that has locals on edge, an Islamic group in New Jersey has placed the winning bid on a 145-acre property in Pennsylvania. Hira Educational Services of North America purchased the former Youth Development Center early this month. Questions abound concerning both the purchase and the eventual use of the property. Residents in Shenango Township and their Lawrence County Commissioners are confused and upset by the acquisition.

The property was originally priced at $17 million. It was eventually dropped to $3 million, but that is a far cry from the actual amount paid by the Islamic group, which was $400,000. Concerns over the bidding process are rampant.

On June 8, the Shenango Township supervisors wrote a letter to Pennsylvania’s Department of General Services Bureau of Real Estate voicing their alarms. It called for “additional information” about the purchaser and its “plans” for the site. The letter cited possible collusion among the bidders, which would violate both the non-collusion affidavit and the requirements outlined in “Section 8 of the Invitation to Bid instructions.”

Frank Augustine explained why questions were being raised at the meeting.

A man identified as Mahammad Asif Kunwar submitted an original bid for $300,000 using his personal name and signing the application as an individual. Sumner McDanel raised the bid to $305,000, but then the Hira Educational Services of North America (HESNA) issued their bid for $400,000. Alarms have been raised because Kunwar is actually listed as the CEO of HESNA. The fact that he submitted bids for himself and for the organization may indicate a violation of rules. Kunwar did not sign the bid submitted by Hira.

Additional concerns surround the group. It is listed as a consulting firm that helps schools get educational aids. The website claims to have helped over 200 Islamic organizations throughout the U.S. They claim to provide “strategic planning, board development, capital campaigns, recruitment searches, and executive coaching.”

However, it appears that the organization only has two employees. They have no listed revenue and no recorded assets. These facts raise questions about where the money is coming from, exactly. The website itself features numerous broken links and no one from the organization could be reached, even Kunwar.

Local residents are upset that the sale of the Youth Development Center wasn’t publicized. Shirley Sallman also asked why the bidding process was not advertised by a local real estate agency.

Hira has received a deal on the property. $400,000 is way below the actual worth.

The organization has submitted the signed agreement of transfer. Now the contract must follow the Commonwealth signature process. After a month or six weeks, the document will be processed and HESNA will have five days to pay the $32,000 deposit. The final balance must be remitted sixty days after that. Without a visible source of income, residents wonder how the organization will pay for the center. However, that’s not their only concern.

HESNA has no assets or employees. They claim to provide educational funds for Islamic schools in America. These institutions are touted as ways to maintain Islamic culture in a Western civilization, but they really only serve to strengthen the divide between the two incompatible cultures.

The group supposedly supports the development for larger Muslim communities in the U.S. by establishing Islamic schools. The Hira organization claims to help those schools get federal E-rate monies. No one has any idea what the group intends to do with the new property. The large grounds would provide room for a substantial training facility.

Since no one from the organization can be contacted, residents and city officials are left wondering if their new neighbor will be an Islamic teaching camp.

Without any information to go on, individuals in the Township will first have to wait to see if Hira comes up with the purchase price of the property. Once that happens, residents will be able to see for themselves what is being planned.