Paterson, N.J. ? For three hours, the country’s most powerful law enforcement agencies tried to get about 300 worshippers at an influential mosque interested in working for the government.

It took a 10-year-old boy to voice the question on people’s minds.

AA Secret Service recruiter who declined to give her name speaks to a group of Muslims, who also declined to give their names, at a career recruitment fair at the Passaic County Muslim Center in Paterson, N.J. More than 100 people expressed interest in a law-enforcement job at the fair on Saturday.

“Most people think all Muslims are terrorists because of what happened on Sept. 11,” said Mahdi El-Saawi of Hawthorne, sitting on a dark green stripe on the floor used to line men up for prayers at The Islamic Center of Passaic County. “Is the FBI allowed to spy on our houses?”

Agents representing the FBI, Secret Service, U.S. Attorney’s Office, state and local police agencies squirmed for a few moments at Saturday night’s job fair before offering what boiled down to the following response: Yes, but we probably won’t.

They visited the mosque in this northern New Jersey community, where at least six of the Sept. 11 hijackers lived before the attacks, to enlist Arab-Americans and Muslims as law enforcement agents.

Rad Alturk, a Jordanian from New York City who owns a business in Clifton, was drawn as much by economics as patriotism.

“The FBI has a good reputation,” Alturk said. “It’s a good career job. We love this country and we want to protect it. They could definitely use some more Muslim FBI agents.”

Opportunity to serve

The job fair was the brainchild of Muslim leaders who wanted to give their community a chance to join the agencies that have scrutinized them since attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

There was some skepticism, expected in a city where many Muslims can tell tales of relatives or friends picked up for questioning and not seen for months. But the response from would-be officers and G-Men was surprisingly strong.

The FBI took names and addresses from more than 100 people who wanted job applications. State police said nearly 50 people expressed interest, and the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office heard from 20 likely applicants.

Many applicants offered to put their expertise in Arabic languages to work for the federal government, which badly needs the help. Of the more than 300 FBI agents assigned to New Jersey, none speaks Arabic, although the office has a staff translator, a spokeswoman said.

Musleh Hakki, a Pakistani who lives in Woodbridge, caught the attention of FBI recruiter Doug Rowe by saying he could speak Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi and Arabic.

“I’ll bring you in and test you,” Rowe told him.

Hakki said he had no qualms about working for the FBI.

“The United States is my country, and if I can help it, I want to,” he said. “This is my home. This is where my children were born. I chose to come here; nobody forced me to come.”

Most applicants were men, but several women also expressed interest in law enforcement careers. Despite having to stand with other women in a back room during prayers, Madiha Katzo, a Paterson school teacher, mingled freely with the male job seekers afterward.

She said she had a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, and was eager to offer her skills to law enforcement.

“I have nothing to hide from the FBI or the police,” she said. “It is an honor to have them at our center. I’m proud of what I am, and my conscience is clean. If I can help, I want to.”

Few are chosen

Rowe said that a handful of the 100-plus potential applicants to his agency might survive the eight- to 12-month hiring process.

“Out of all these, if we could get five people, that would be a real productive night,” he said. “We’d be real happy with that.”

A few attendees said they were skeptical of the authorities’ motives.

“A lot of people would hesitate to do what you would consider spying,” said Ahmed Al-Hassan, a Yemeni native living in Teaneck. “Spying would not be good, but combating danger and terrorism is justified. You just have to be careful. You don’t want to be just as bad as the bad guys.”

Paterson Police Chief Lawrence Spagnola was blunt in his appeal.

“We’re asking you to help us,” he told the congregants. “If you don’t help us, then you’re condoning what happens in your community. This is your country. There are people that came in here and jeopardized all your futures. Do you accept that? So help us!”