Shahana Hanif is a New York City Council member representing Brooklyn's 39th District. A community organizer born and raised in the district, she became the first Bangladeshi and Muslim woman elected to the Council. Her public work includes housing, immigrant communities, and accessibility.
Role at the time: New York City Council member giving her own interview response
Defended or excused
Responding to
Should Zohran Mamdani attend New York City’s 9/11 memorial?
"being treated differently simply because he is Muslim"
Why we used this label
She directly challenges the exclusion campaign and defends Mamdani's participation; her account of the opponents' motivation is attributed rather than independently established.
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Gov. George Pataki, and some relatives of September 11 victims say Mayor Zohran Mamdani should not attend the 2026 commemoration, citing concerns about his rhetoric and associations. Mamdani says he will attend to honor victims, families, survivors, and first responders. Other elected officials and September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows say 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.
