Republican leaders urge New York's Muslim mayor to skip 9/11 ceremony amid partisan dispute

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s first Muslim mayor, said he will attend the ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks, joining a designated area for current and former elected officials. Several prominent Republicans, including former mayor Rudy Giuliani, former governor George Pataki and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, have publicly urged him not to attend, characterising his presence as inappropriate.

Mamdani responded that the focus of the memorial should be on the victims, their families, survivors and first responders, adding that the ceremony should not become a political platform. Governor Kathy Hochul also defended his attendance, stating that “the voices of hatred should not prevail over the voices of those who say, ‘Let us come together.’”

The dispute has revived concerns about the traditionally apolitical nature of the ceremony. Gwen Rocco, a spokesperson for the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, said officials are invited only to bear witness and that the event is deliberately kept free of partisan politics. However, the current debate has drawn criticism from both parties, with Democrats accusing Blakeman of aligning with a congressional candidate who has promoted 9/11 conspiracy theories, and Republicans asserting that the mayor’s past associations raise security-related concerns.

A recent Suffolk University poll found that 74% of New York City voters support Mamdani’s attendance and want the ceremony to remain centered on victims and survivors. The mayor also released documents on post-9/11 air-quality issues, alleging that officials had misled the public about health risks.

The ceremony will proceed without speeches from elected officials, a practice in place since 2012, and will focus on honoring the nearly 3,000 people who died in the attacks.