As New York prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, some 9/11 families are asking Mayor Zohran Mamdani not to attend the Ground Zero memorial ceremony.
Their objection is not about ordinary partisan politics. It is about what they see as a record that makes his presence inappropriate at a day reserved for mourning, remembrance, and moral clarity.
The petition cites Mamdani’s relationship with streamer Hasan Piker, who previously said “America deserved 9/11,” as well as Mamdani’s hesitation to clearly condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada.” It also points to his praise for Imam Siraj Wahhaj, who has been described in reporting as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing case, and past comments suggesting U.S. actions contributed to the radicalization of al-Qaeda propagandist Anwar al-Awlaki.
Mamdani has said he intends to attend the ceremony and honor the families, survivors, and first responders. But for the relatives objecting to his presence, the issue is whether the anniversary should become another political stage.
The September 11 memorial is not a campaign event. It belongs first to the families who lost loved ones, the survivors who still carry the trauma, and the first responders who ran toward the towers when everyone else was running away.
On the 25th anniversary of the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil, their wishes should not be treated as a public-relations obstacle. They should be taken seriously.
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© Divuach Ne’eman R”A, 2025
