The 9/11 memorial marking 25 years since the September 11 attacks has become the focus of a political dispute over whether New York City’s first Muslim mayor should attend. Zeshan Hamdani, whose older brother died in the North Tower, said he was disappointed by calls for Mayor Zohran Mamdani to stay away.
The demands have come from several critics, including Rudy Giuliani, who was New York’s mayor on the morning of the attacks. A ceremony intended to centre grieving families has therefore acquired a political guest-list argument, as if the anniversary needed another source of tension.
Mamdani says he will attend the ceremony
Zohran Mamdani has rejected the calls to sit out the commemoration. He said he plans to attend and will keep his attention on the families who lost relatives in the attacks.
His presence carries particular significance because he is the city’s first Muslim mayor. Critics have nevertheless argued that he should not take part, turning the anniversary into another dispute over identity and public office.
Giuliani’s involvement adds further weight to the controversy because of his role during and after September 11, 2001. He was mayor when hijacked aircraft struck the World Trade Center and oversaw the city’s immediate response.
