Survivors, first responders, and families connected to the 9/11 community are feeling “disgusted and outraged” by Zoran Mamdani’s choice to campaign alongside Siraj Wahhaj, an imam linked to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, according to Michael Barash, a noted 9/11 attorney. He described the situation as “an insult to all 9/11 survivors and their families.”
In an interview this past Tuesday, Barash shared that his phone has been “ringing nonstop” since the photo surfaced on Saturday, with many expressing their disgust over Mamdani’s association with Wahhaj, a Brooklyn imam associated with anti-American extremism. “We cannot allow Mamdani into City Hall,” he warned.
Barash remarked on the swift backlash. “Why does he have the support of radical Muslims? They don’t vote for him, anyway,” he pointed out. “It only fosters hatred, the kind that spawned the attacks in ’93 and again in 2001. So why would Zoran Mamdani acknowledge this radical imam? I just don’t get it, and neither do my clients.”
He stressed that the outrage isn’t confined to just first responders. “About half of my clients are responders, but most are everyday New Yorkers: office workers, teachers, students, and local residents,” he added. “This isn’t just political; for many grappling with the consequences of 9/11, it’s existential.”
Barash claimed the incident “ripped off the Band-Aid” for those still contending with the aftermath. “To witness Mamdani aligning himself with someone like Wahhaj, who has backed terrorists, feels like a slap in the face to every New Yorker who was there, who got sick, who lost someone.”
According to Barash, the anger within the 9/11 community is nearly universal. “We need to distance ourselves from Islamic extremism,” he cautioned. “I represent moderate Muslims, Jews, and Christians. Toxic dust didn’t discriminate. Mamdani’s support for Wahhaj is an affront to everyone in the 9/11 community: those suffering, those who grieved, and those living with cancer fears.”
He connected the controversy to statements Mamdani refuses to denounce. “He’s engaging with those advocating ‘globalize the intifada,’ a slogan rooted in the same extremist mindset that incited 9/11,” Barash remarked.
Barash mentioned that first responders view Mamdani’s photo op as part of a troubling pattern. “These are the people who care for us,” he noted, referring to police and firefighters. “And then we have a candidate who’s been antagonistic to first responders, cozying up to someone lauded by anti-American extremists. How can anyone from the 9/11 community support that for mayor? That’s terrifying.”
He described Mamdani’s actions as politically opportunistic. “If he aims to connect with moderate Muslims, that’s okay; he should do so by showing genuine support, not by aligning with those who threaten everyone.”
Barash expressed concern over the message this sends. “This could normalize hatred toward Jews and first responders,” he reflected, noting that Mamdani isn’t considering new police officers and firefighters—the very individuals who rushed into the towers during the attacks. “That’s my real worry.”
Older victims of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing feel particularly let down, he added. “Some of my clients lived through that attack. They’re in their 60s now, and they all vote,” Barash noted. “This isn’t just a symbol. It contradicts our pledge to ‘never forget.’
Barash questioned whether Mamdani truly understands the significance of 9/11 for New Yorkers. “He’s 32; he was 11 during the attacks,” Barash said. “I doubt he forgot. I doubt he fully comprehended. Has he ever visited the 9/11 Museum?”
When discussing the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund and health programs, Barash expressed confidence that Mamdani wouldn’t impede federal support. He acknowledged President Trump’s role in securing it. “I was honored to be in the Rose Garden in 2019 when President Trump extended the James Zadroga Act, ensuring ongoing funding for the Victim Compensation Fund until 2090,” he remarked. “He has consistently backed the 9/11 community.”
“As a Jewish American, I felt personally insulted by Mamdani’s meeting with and normalizing this extremist imam,” Barash stated. “Seeing that big smile in the photo made me want to throw up.”
In closing, he underscored the importance of voting, asserting, “You may not like your choices, but whether you pick Republican, Democrat, or moderate, we cannot let Zoran Mamdani into City Hall.”
