Brother of Muslim 9/11 police cadet defends Mamdani's ceremony attendance

Giuliani among those urging NYC’s first Muslim mayor to skip 9/11 commemoration

Zeshan Hamdani, whose older brother Salman died as a Muslim American New York police cadet in the North Tower on September 11, 2001, defended New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s plan to attend the 25th anniversary commemoration in a BBC News interview.

Hamdani spoke to BBC correspondent Nada Tawfik. BBC News’s headline for the interview read “Islam is being hijacked,” and BBC News’s own reporting described the 25th anniversary as having “become embroiled in divisive politics.”

Mayor Mamdani has said he will attend and his focus will be on the families who lost loved ones, BBC News reported.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who was the city’s mayor on the morning of the attacks, is among those calling for the city’s first Muslim mayor to sit out the commemorative event, BBC News reported.

The BBC video piece was filmed and edited by Andrew Blum and produced by Pratiksha Ghildial.