Edward Ahmed Mitchell calls effort to exclude Mamdani anti-Muslim bigotry
Edward Ahmed MitchellDeputy executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
Mitchell said excluding Mamdani because he is Muslim or through guilt-by-association arguments would be anti-Muslim bigotry.
“anti-Muslim bigotry, plain and simple”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Should Zohran Mamdani attend New York City’s 9/11 memorial?
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Gov. George Pataki, and some relatives of September 11 victims said Mayor Zohran Mamdani should not attend the 2026 commemoration, citing concerns about his rhetoric and associations. Mamdani said he would attend to honor victims, families, survivors, and first responders. Other elected officials and September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows said excluding the sitting mayor would politicize a ceremony meant for collective remembrance. The dispute is over the civic meaning and appropriateness of attendance, not over whether Mamdani has endorsed the September 11 attacks. Mamdani attended the 25th-anniversary ceremony at Ground Zero on September 11, 2026, shaking hands with Giuliani beforehand, and no protest took place. The argument over whether he should have been there continued after the ceremony, and the case remains open to record it.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
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.
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.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Mitchell criticizes the act of exclusion, not just the wording of an allegation. This is a substantive defense of attendance.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Zohran Mamdani
Corrections to this statement
These notices document reporting corrections, classification changes, and topic-label updates.
Classification correction
Correction to: Statement by Edward Ahmed Mitchell
- Previous classification
- Challenges the characterization. He challenged the stated basis for exclusion rather than discussing ceremony logistics.
- Corrected classification
- Defends or excuses. Mitchell criticizes the act of exclusion, not just the wording of an allegation. This is a substantive defense of attendance.
We corrected the editorial classification of Edward Ahmed Mitchell's response about Excluding Mamdani for religion or associations. Mitchell criticizes the act of exclusion, not just the wording of an allegation. This is a substantive defense of attendance. This corrects our labeling, not a later change in the speaker's position.
This corrects an editorial classification.
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.
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Read the full caseTrump calls the Mamdani-AOC laughing moment "terrible"
“I think it's terrible. It's not a place to be laughing... the fact that they were laughing together at a very important part of the ceremony was inappropriate.”Read statement
Emma Vigeland calls Mamdani's handshake with Giuliani at the 9/11 ceremony masterful
“To recap: 1) Giuliani went on a racist rant about Muslims and said he'd be "offended" if Mamdani attended the 9/11 ceremony 2) Mamdani released thousands of documents on 9/11 air quality that implicate Giuliani 3) Mamdani shakes his hand with a smile at the ceremony Masterful.”Read statement
Chris Hayes says Mamdani modelled "civility and grace" by showing up and shaking hands
“Too many people online seem to conflate left politics with being obnoxious and scathing and Mamdani is such a model for combining a principled ideological vision with civility and grace. You shake hands, you act like a grown up even whether others aren't. You show up.”Read statement
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- Edward Ahmed Mitchell calls effort to exclude Mamdani anti-Muslim bigotry
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Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Edward Ahmed Mitchell calls effort to exclude Mamdani anti-Muslim bigotry". First published: 2026-09-10. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/214-mitchell-said-excluding-mamdani-because-he-is-muslim