9/11 Victims’ Families Call for NYC Mayor Mamdani’s Exclusion From 25th Anniversary Ceremony

A coalition of 9/11 victims’ families has launched a petition demanding that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani be prohibited from participating in this year’s 25th anniversary commemorative ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in Lower Manhattan. The families have submitted their request to the museum’s organizers, citing what they characterize as a pattern of positions and associations they find objectionable. The petition, posted on Change.org and signed by multiple family members, represents a significant challenge as Mamdani prepares for his first September 11 observance as mayor.

The families’ grievances center on Mamdani’s stated reluctance to explicitly denounce inflammatory rhetoric, including the phrase “globalize the intifada,” a slogan widely linked to calls for Jewish elimination. They also highlighted his connections to controversial figures, including his appearance at the At-Taqwa mosque in Brooklyn, where imam Siraj Wahhaj once hosted the Blind Sheikh, who orchestrated the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Former FBI agents had previously criticized Wahhaj for failing to distance himself from the cleric’s statements on extremism.

The petition further criticized Mamdani’s father, Columbia University government professor Mahmood Mamdani, for his 2002 book “Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror.” Families noted that the professor’s work drew moral parallels between American foreign policy and Al Qaeda operations and argued that suicide bombers should be analyzed as a political phenomenon rather than condemned as barbarism. Billionaire Bill Ackman recently invoked this connection on social media.

Mamdani has indicated he intends to attend the ceremony regardless of the petition’s outcome. Speaking to reporters at an unrelated event Monday, he stated he would “proudly honor families and survivors” at the commemoration. Fox News Digital sought comment from both Mamdanis but received no immediate response from the mayor’s office.

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum stated it has maintained a nonpartisan approach to the annual observance. A spokesperson told the New York Post that dignitaries from both political parties have historically participated, provided they have demonstrated long-term involvement in the city’s healing process. The museum emphasized that the ceremony should remain insulated from political disputes.

Mamdani has also drawn criticism for supporting progressive candidates, including the DSA-endorsed woman who defeated Rep. Adriano Espaillat in a Washington Heights primary. Families cited one candidate’s social media post in which she described casually wiping her hands on an American flag as disrespectful to shared national values. The controversy underscores the heightened political tensions surrounding Mamdani’s new role.