9/11 Families Draw the Line: Mayor Mamdani Must Be Barred From Ground Zero

Over 1,100 Americans have signed a petition demanding New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani be banned from the 25th anniversary ceremony at Ground Zero—and the number keeps climbing because the evidence against him is damning and undeniable.

This isn’t about politics. This is about respect for the 2,977 innocent Americans slaughtered by Islamic terrorists on September 11, 2001.

And the families who lost loved ones that horrific day have had enough.

A Widow’s Righteous Stand

Giovanni Galante knows exactly what’s at stake. His 29-year-old wife, Grace Catherine Galante, was murdered by al-Qaeda terrorists on 9/11. Now 55, this Brooklyn-born real estate agent has become the voice for hundreds of families who refuse to let their sacred day of remembrance be desecrated by a mayor whose record on terrorism is indefensible.

“Our objection is based on his public record—his failure to meaningfully acknowledge the horror of that day, and his employment of, support for, or association with individuals who have minimized 9/11, defended terrorists, or even suggested America ‘deserved’ the attacks,” Galante stated with the clarity and conviction that comes from personal tragedy.

The petition has collected at least 300 signatures from victims’ families alone. That’s 300 families saying the same thing: Mayor Mamdani’s presence at Ground Zero would be an insult to their murdered loved ones.

The Damning Evidence Keeps Piling Up

The facts surrounding Mamdani’s troubling associations aren’t speculation or partisan attacks. They’re documented, verified, and deeply disturbing.

Let’s start with Imam Siraj Wahhaj, the Brooklyn religious leader who was photographed arm-in-arm with Mamdani during his mayoral campaign. Wahhaj wasn’t just any imam—he was an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. He once urged followers to participate in “gun-free jihad” and “march through the city of New York.”

This is who Mamdani chose to campaign with. Willingly. Publicly. Proudly.

Then there’s Ramzi Kassem, whom Mamdani appointed as the city’s chief counsel. Kassem’s legal career reads like a greatest hits of terrorist defense: he represented Ahmed al-Darbi, an al-Qaeda operative who pleaded guilty to plotting to bomb a French oil tanker, and Mahmoud Khalil, the radical organizer behind Columbia University’s anti-Israel chaos in 2024.

The mayor didn’t stumble into these associations. He chose them.

The Democratic Socialist Connection

Mamdani’s endorsements reveal a pattern that cannot be ignored.

He backed Aber Kawas for state Senate despite her describing 9/11 as something “a couple of people did”—language that echoes Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s infamous minimization of the worst terror attack on American soil. Kawas also expressed sympathy for Ahmed Ferhani, who pleaded guilty to plotting to blow up a Manhattan synagogue.

He called Darializa Avila Chevalier the “perfect candidate” for Congress. This is a woman who called the United States “a f—ing disgrace” and bragged about desecrating the American flag by using it like a napkin.

These aren’t youthful indiscretions or misunderstood comments. These are the people Mamdani actively promotes and elevates.

The Anwar al-Awlaki Defense

Perhaps most troubling are Mamdani’s 2015 social media posts defending Anwar al-Awlaki—the al-Qaeda terrorist who interacted with three of the 9/11 hijackers and became one of the most dangerous Islamic extremists in modern history.

Mamdani didn’t just excuse al-Awlaki’s terrorism. He blamed America for supposedly “turning” the cleric into a terrorist.

This is victim-blaming on a national scale. This is moral relativism at its most grotesque.

The prostitution-loving al-Awlaki didn’t become a mass murderer because of American policy. He became a terrorist because of his own evil choices and radical Islamic ideology.

Family Ties to Terror Apologists

Even Mamdani’s family connections raise serious questions. His father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a Columbia University professor who has expressed sympathy for suicide bombers.

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Mamdani also maintains a longtime alliance with Hasan Piker, the far-left influencer who explicitly stated that “America deserved” the September 11 attacks.

When you surround yourself with terror apologists, defend al-Qaeda operatives, and refuse to condemn calls for violence against Jewish people—as Mamdani has done with the “globalize the intifada” slogan—you forfeit your right to stand on hallowed ground where nearly 3,000 Americans were massacred.

This Day Belongs to the Families

Cheri Sparacio, whose 35-year-old husband Thomas died on 9/11, put it perfectly: there are “so many other examples” of Mamdani’s disqualifying behavior that “we couldn’t fit them on the list.”

Monica Iken-Murphy, whose 37-year-old husband Michael Iken perished in the attacks and who became a leading advocate for the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, made the reasonable case that only officials involved in the healing process from the beginning should attend this pivotal anniversary.

“I don’t want families to feel uncomfortable,” she said. “Others can come a different day, but let the families have their time.”

That’s not too much to ask. That’s the bare minimum of respect owed to Americans who lost everything on September 11, 2001.

Political Correctness Has Its Limits

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum released a statement saying the commemoration has been kept “free of politics” and that government officials “from across the political spectrum” have attended.

That misses the point entirely.

This isn’t about left versus right. This isn’t about Democrat versus Republican. This isn’t even about Muslim versus non-Muslim.

This is about drawing a clear, bright line between those who unequivocally condemn terrorism and those whose records show sympathy, association, or defense of terrorists and their enablers.

Queens Councilwoman Joann Ariola understands what’s at stake: “This is a mayor who has endorsed candidates and has been endorsed by individuals who openly said that ‘America deserved 9/11,’ so I completely understand why families of those who lost loved ones would not want him there.”

The Bottom Line

Ground Zero is sacred ground. The 25th anniversary of September 11 should be about remembrance, unity, and an unambiguous rejection of the violence and extremism that defined that day.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s presence would represent the opposite of those values.

His record speaks for itself. His associations are indefensible. His refusal to condemn calls for violence against Jewish people is disqualifying. His defense of al-Qaeda terrorists is unforgivable.

Giovanni Galante and the other petition organizers aren’t asking for anything unreasonable. They’re asking that their day of mourning—their moment to honor the memories of wives, husbands, sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and friends—not be tainted by someone whose entire political career has been built on associations with terror apologists and radical extremists.

The families of 9/11 victims have suffered enough. They’ve endured unimaginable loss, decades of grief, and a world forever changed by Islamic terrorism.

The very least we can do is ensure their sacred ceremony isn’t contaminated by a mayor who has repeatedly demonstrated he’s incapable of standing unequivocally against the ideology that murdered their loved ones.

Mayor Mamdani should do the honorable thing and stay away. If he won’t, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and New York City Council must act.

Some lines cannot be crossed. Some ground is too sacred to be violated. And some associations are too damning to be overlooked—even in the name of political correctness or religious sensitivity.

The families of 9/11 victims have drawn their line. Now it’s time for the rest of us to stand with them.