It’s only just a few more days to go before the 25th 9/11 anniversary, but New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing yet another wave of criticism after a ceremonial pen used to sign 9/11-related executive orders was handed to his chief counsel, Ramzi Kassem. Kassem is a lawyer who previously represented a Guantánamo detainee who pleaded guilty to war-crime charges connected to al-Qaeda plots.
The controversy erupted after Mamdani signed two executive orders on Friday ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The orders designated September 11 as a citywide Day of Remembrance and Service and called on New Yorkers to honor victims, survivors, and first responders through reflection and community service.
After signing the orders, Mamdani passed one of the pens to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and asked her to give it to Kassem. Kassem had previously represented Ahmed al-Darbi, who pleaded guilty in 2014 to charges involving an al-Qaeda maritime terrorism plot. Al-Darbi was accused of helping plan an attack on a French oil tanker in 2002 and admitted to providing resources and handling funds connected to the operation.
Al-Darbi was also the brother-in-law of Khalid al-Mihdhar, one of the hijackers aboard American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, killing 184 people. The connection immediately drew fierce criticism online, particularly because the ceremony was intended to commemorate victims of the attacks.
Critics think it’s an insult to 9/11 victims
As expected, people online who were already critical of Mayor Mamdani were more furious, especially since the issue of Mamdani’s attendance at the 9/11 commemoration has been brewing for quite a while now. “This is a slap in the face to victims ahead of the 25th anniversary of 9/11,” according to an X user.
Indeed, Mamdani could be facing one of his most challenging public appearances so far. Former New York State Senate candidate Maria Danzilo said she hoped Americans understood “how hard it is to be in New York City with this mayor” as the anniversary approached. Another social media user described the handoff as a “deliberate gesture by Mamdani” that allegedly undermined 9/11 remembrance.
Joyce Cohen Day, whose mother died in the South Tower, also criticized the decision, writing that she was surprised Mamdani did not give Kassem “models of Flights 11 and 175,” referring to the two planes that struck the World Trade Center. Others pushed back against the criticism, noting that attorneys routinely represent defendants regardless of whether they agree with their clients.
“He’s an attorney. Attorneys represent clients. They are not guilty of a client’s crimes. [Expletive] is wrong with people,” one X user argued. The mayor’s office told the New York Post that Kassem attended because he and his team drafted both executive orders as part of their official duties. The backlash ensued as a petition calling for Mamdani to stay away from New York City’s 25th-anniversary 9/11 ceremony has reportedly gathered nearly one hundred thousand signatures.
