Challenged the characterization
““anti-Muslim bigotry, plain and simple””
Mitchell said excluding Mamdani because he is Muslim or through guilt-by-association arguments would be anti-Muslim bigotry.
- Speaker
- Edward Ahmed Mitchell
- Capacity
- Deputy executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
- Observed
- September 9, 2026
- Published here
- September 10, 2026
- Targets
- Zohran Mamdani
- Classification rationale
- He challenged the stated basis for exclusion rather than discussing ceremony logistics.
Surrounding material
Full context
Before the quotation
Supporters of the petition cited Mamdani's identity, associations, and political record.
After the quotation
Mitchell characterized those exclusion arguments as discriminatory.
Evidence
Complete source record
Some 9/11 families defend Mayor Mamdani’s inclusion at remembrance ceremony (opens in a new tab)Interviews with Elizabeth Miller and Edward Ahmed Mitchell
CBS New York interviews a 9/11 family member supporting Mamdani's attendance and a CAIR representative characterizing calls for exclusion as anti-Muslim bigotry.