Islamberg is situated in the Catskill Mountains about a three-hour drive north of New York City. It was founded by the followers of Jamaat al Fuqara (the Party of the Impoverished) in 1984. The Jamaat al Fuqara is headed by Sheikh Mubarak Ali Shah Gillani, a descendent of a known Sufi family of Pakistan. Most of the followers of Jamaat al Fuqara are convert Muslims who migrated from Brooklyn, New York to Islamberg with the hope of living their lives according to Islamic traditions.

There are about 45 families living on the 77-acre tract of land known as Islamberg. A mosque and the Islamberg Children's Academy share a building in the middle of the hamlet. The Academy, where 150 children are currently enrolled, is affiliated with the New York State Department of Education; besides a public school syllabus, the Academy offers religious education whose syllabus has been put together by the International Islamic Quran Open University where Sheikh Mubarak Ali Shah Gillani is also the Chancellor. The Academy, where girls and boys are educated in separate classrooms, offers classes up through high school.

Mohammad Haseebul Haq, who is a spokesman for Islamberg and who converted to Islam 40 years ago, told Urdu Times that they are followers of the Hanafi school of Islamic thought, which counts Sunni Muslims among its followers. He was introduced to Islam by Sheikh Mubarak who also converted him. Haseebul Haq, who migrated to Islamberg when Mubarak Gillani founded Muslims of America Inc. so he could lead a life in accordance with the tenets of Islam, disagreed with the observation that most of the converts were African Americans who became Muslims while serving prison terms.

According to Haseebul Haq, it was Mubarak Gillani's idea to develop the hamlet, a model that has been replicated in many places – there are 20 such villages across the country where Muslim families are settled. Although there was worry among the locals about their way of life when they first came to the area – in 1984, the majority of residents in the region were white – "we established good relations and today they have no problems with us. We stay in touch with each other, and join each other's festivals." Mubarak Gillani, who came to the United States in 1979 and left for Pakistan in 1990, "stays in touch with us through telephone and video conferences. We get full guidance from him. In cases where a serious problem arises, we visit him in Pakistan," he commented.

Haseebul Haq, who has visited Pakistan more than ten times, explained that the Jamaat al Fuqara community faced numerous problems after the 9/11 attacks. "The American media published biased reports against us and described us as chauvinist Muslims, alleging that we received military training here, had weapons and that we were setting up training camps." He pointed out that the community members are U.S. citizens and Muslims. "We respect U.S. law, but the media displays complete lack of understanding about us. We are living a secluded life here for the simple reason that we want to show our children how to lead a life strictly in accordance with the tenets of Islam, and to build an Islamic society for ourselves. We are not here to run training camps. Our leader was implicated in Daniel Pearl's case [the Wall Street Journal reporter who was murdered in Pakistan] and was exonerated of all the charges. All this was part of a planned conspiracy against us." As followers of Sufi Islam, which teaches love and peace, "we are being discriminated against simply because we are Muslims. Large numbers of Jews and Christians also lead lives like ours, but nobody says that they are radicals."  

Islam has become America's fastest growing religion and in Islamberg, Ramadan, Eid and Eid-e-Milad (the birthday of Prophet Mohammad) are observed according to Islamic traditions. "Our neighbors also join us in celebrating these festivals," said Haseebul Haq, who also founded the United Muslim Christian Forum to promote broader dialogue with Christians. He also complained that converted Muslims were being treated as second- and third-class Muslims.

There are different stories published online about Jamaat al Fuqara's founder, Sheikh Mubarak Gillani – not all favorable. According to Jihad Watch, Gillani was Imam at Brooklyn's Yasin Mosque until 1980, where he took on the name Imamul Fuqara – leader of the impoverished. In the 1980s, Gillani allegedly organized criminals, mostly African Americans, under the banner of Darul Islam, and convinced them to participate in Jihad against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, after receiving training at camps run by Al-Qaeda and Afghan Mujahideen. According to the website, several African Americans traveled to Pakistan to participate in the Afghan war at the urging of Sheikh Gillani. He later shifted his focus to train fighters in the United States instead of sending them to Pakistan, and purchased 70 acres of land in New Haven, where he built a firing range and merged Darul Islam into the Jamaatul Fuqara community. With big trailers on the land to be used as paramilitary compounds, the training camp was named as Islamberg. According to the website, Islamberg, a "no-go area" for the local population and a place visited by wealthy Arabs, was secured by a barbed wire fence with security guards posted at the gate. The website goes on to say that Islamberg is tied to U.S.-based terrorist groups and linked to the first WorldTrade Center attack in 1993 and to shoe-bomber Richard Reid.

A board reading "Permit Required" is visible at the entrance of Islamberg, where the paved road ends and a dirt track begins. As we reached the main gate, another reporter who said he was from CBS told us that Islamberg officials were not allowing him to enter. When we entered the hamlet and introduced ourselves to the administration, we were informed that prior permission was required in order to visit, which could be obtained by telephone. Lacking permission, we embarked on the return journey but were soon stopped by several Islamberg administration members who informed us that we could return. When we again reached the hamlet, we were asked us if we were there to say our Jumaa prayer.