Newark, New Jersey Was Duped Into Becoming A Sister City For A Fake Country

If you are a fake Nigerian Prince, you may want to call Ras Baraka, the mayor of Newark, New Jersey. He will likely send the funds you need to cash in the winning lottery ticket. The city recently admitted that it was duped into becoming a sister city with the Hindu nation of Kailasa. The only problem is there is no such nation. The fake nation has a detailed website, but it is not recognized by any country worldwide.

The scam was created by Nithyananda, a swami that is a fugitive from India, where he is on the run from rape charges. Nithyananda, a well-known scam artist, created the website for Kailasa in 2019 while attempting to apply for asylum in Sri Lanka. In January, Newark held a ceremony at City Hall honoring the fake country while signing a cultural trade agreement. 

During the ceremony on January 12th, Mayor Ras Baraka and the Newark City Counsel invited officials from the phony nation and signed an agreement on cultural trade. The mayor made a statement that he hoped the deal would help political development and improve the lives of everyone in Newark and the fake nation of Kailasa. Newark would take six days to realize that the country did not exist, as the deal was voided on January 18th.  

It is unclear where Kailasa is. The website states that it is a tiny island near Ecuador, where Nithyananda may be hiding. However, the country in South America denies any claim to the island and does not believe that fugitive is in their country. The "Kailasa government official" also claimed to represent the nation at a UN conference in Geneva in September. At that meeting, she requested protection for Nityananda, who she claimed as the "supreme pontiff of Hinduism."

Perhaps, Newark should have looked at a global map, used Wikipedia, or researched the nation of Kailasa to know what Mayor Ras Baraka was signing. Hopefully, the largest city in New Jersey will use more diligence the next time they invite a nation into City Hall. Hopefully, they know there is no lottery ticket, and the Nigerian Prince is not real. 

Newark is not only the armpit of America; it is a laughing stock, SMH.