(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani brought himself to tears on Friday while talking about how Muslims supposedly suffered after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Mamdani raised the issue at a press conference meant to rebut attacks from opponents Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa over his past comments about global jihad and his faith.
He invoked his late aunt, who he said felt targeted after 9/11, and recounted his own childhood experiences following the attacks to make his point.
“I want to use this moment to speak to the Muslims of New York City,” Mamdani said, through tears. “I want to speak to the memory of my aunt who stopped taking the subway after September 11th because she did not feel safe in her hijab.”
He then brought up his childhood, claiming that “growing up in the shadow of 9/11, I have known what it means to live with an undercurrent of suspicion in the city.”
Mamdani continued: “I will always remember the disdain that I faced. The way that my name could immediately become ‘Mohammed’ and how I could return to my city only to be asked in a double-mirrored room in the airport, if I had any plan of attacking it.”
In the speech, he made no mention of the nearly 3,000 people who died on 9/11.
Zohran through tears: “My aunt stopped taking the subway after 9/11 because she did not feel safe in her hijab.”
Yes, she was the real victim of 9/11
pic.twitter.com/aILr4JtVvF— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 24, 2025
Mamdani’s comments come on the heels of his opponents warning about his radicalism in the race for New York City mayor.
For instance, the self-described democratic socialist has refused to condemn calls to “globalize the intifada,” a slogan historically used to urge violence against Jewish communities.
