Zohran Mamdani to Attend Sep.11th Memorial Despite Calls to

NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is set to attend Friday’s 25th-anniversary commemoration of the September 11 attacks at Ground Zero, despite growing criticism from some 9/11 relatives, conservative politicians and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani who have urged him to stay away.

Mamdani, New York City’s first Muslim mayor, has repeatedly said that the anniversary should focus on the victims, survivors, families and first responders who were affected by the attacks. He has also participated in several memorial events ahead of Friday’s anniversary.

The controversy has turned what is normally one of New York’s most solemn annual ceremonies into another flashpoint in the city’s increasingly polarized political environment.

Mamdani Says He Will Be There

Mamdani confirmed that he plans to attend the main ceremony at the World Trade Center site, rejecting calls for him to remain absent.

“I’m proud to be the mayor of this city. I love this city. I love this country,” Mamdani said while discussing the anniversary. He said his priority was honoring the families whose loved ones were killed and the first responders who rushed into danger on Sept. 11, 2001.

The mayor has also made 9/11 remembrance a formal part of his administration’s agenda.

Earlier this month, he signed executive orders establishing September 11 as New York City’s official “Day of Remembrance and Service” and directing city agencies to organize moments of silence, memorial programs and service activities. The orders also seek to modernize the city’s emergency preparedness and continuity-of-government procedures.

Why Critics Want Him to Stay Away

Opposition to Mamdani’s attendance has largely centered on his political record, his Muslim faith and his administration’s appointment of Ramzi Kassem as the city’s chief legal counsel.

Critics have highlighted Kassem’s previous legal representation of a convicted al-Qaeda member and argued that Mamdani’s political positions make his presence at the anniversary ceremony inappropriate. An online petition calling for Mamdani to be excluded from the ceremony has attracted tens of thousands of signatures, with supporters of the effort claiming nearly 100,000 or more.

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani has been among the most prominent voices calling on Mamdani not to attend.

Giuliani, who was mayor of New York during the 2001 attacks, said Mamdani’s participation offended him and publicly questioned why the Muslim mayor should appear at the ceremony.

Former New York Gov. George Pataki has also criticized Mamdani’s attendance, adding to pressure from conservative figures and some 9/11 family advocates.

Mamdani Has Taken a Different Approach

Rather than backing away from the anniversary, Mamdani has emphasized his administration’s efforts to honor those affected by the attacks.

On Sept. 2, he participated in an FDNY World Trade Center memorial ceremony, where he paid tribute to the firefighters who died on 9/11 and those who later died from illnesses associated with exposure at Ground Zero.

Mamdani noted that 343 active-duty FDNY members died on Sept. 11 and said more than 600 FDNY members have since died from 9/11-related health complications.

His administration has also released more than 170,000 pages of previously inaccessible city records concerning the government’s response to the attacks, air quality and the health consequences of the World Trade Center disaster.

The city says the newly created public records portal will continue to be expanded as additional documents are reviewed and personally identifying information is removed.

A Ceremony Meant to Transcend Politics

The 9/11 anniversary marks 25 years since al-Qaeda hijackers crashed four commercial airplanes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks, including hundreds of New York firefighters, police officers and other emergency personnel.

The annual ceremony at Ground Zero is traditionally centered on the reading of victims’ names by relatives and survivors rather than political speeches. Former presidents and national political figures are expected to attend this year’s anniversary events, while Vice President JD Vance is representing the White House in New York. President Donald Trump is scheduled to mark the anniversary at the Pentagon.

That setting makes the controversy surrounding Mamdani particularly sensitive.

Supporters argue that excluding a sitting New York mayor from the city’s principal memorial would itself politicize an event intended to unite New Yorkers. Critics, meanwhile, say the mayor’s political associations and positions warrant scrutiny before he participates.

Mamdani’s Attendance Becomes a Symbol of a Larger Debate

The dispute ultimately extends beyond whether one mayor attends one ceremony.

Mamdani's presence places questions of religion, national identity, terrorism, immigration and political division directly alongside one of the most sacred dates in modern American history.

For Mamdani, attending the ceremony is a statement that the victims and first responders belong to the entire city — including New Yorkers from Muslim communities.

For his critics, his attendance represents unresolved concerns about his political views and associations.

But one fact is clear: Mamdani has no intention of staying away.

As New York marks the 25th anniversary of the attacks, the mayor says he will stand with the victims’ families and first responders at Ground Zero — even as the political battle over whether he should be there continues.