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When did Zohran Mamdani make his 9/11 comment and what was the exact wording?
Executive Summary
Zohran Mamdani has been reported saying comments that framed Muslims as enduring harms from the aftermath of September 11, but the exact timing and wording differ across news accounts and are not consistently documented in the supplied materials. Contemporary reporting in October 2025 quotes him recounting his aunt’s experience — “My aunt stopped taking the subway after September 11th because she did not feel safe in her hijab” — and other reports cite anniversary social-media posts with different language; however, the sources disagree on whether a specific mosque-side remark occurred on a particular date and whether earlier controversial remarks attributed to associates involve Mamdani himself [1] [2] [3].
1. What people are claiming and why it matters — the core allegations that circulated loudly
Multiple claims converge: that Mamdani said Muslims are “the real victims” of 9/11 in a public setting; that he told a personal anecdote about his aunt avoiding the subway after 9/11 because of her hijab; and that prior social-media anniversary posts from Mamdani omitted certain honors for first responders, prompting backlash. Those claims matter because they shape public perception of Mamdani’s sensitivity to 9/11 victims, influence electoral messaging, and are used by opponents to question his judgment and associations. The supplied articles report a mosque-side comment tied to early voting in late October 2025 and a pattern of anniversary posts across years, but they vary on whether Mamdani’s words were a targeted political line or part of a broader reflection on post‑9/11 Islamophobia [1] [2].
2. What the reporting actually records — quoted wording and timestamps that are available
The clearest quoted line in the supplied reporting is the anecdotal sentence: “My aunt stopped taking the subway after September 11th because she did not feel safe in her hijab.” That quote appears in October 25, 2025 coverage describing remarks made near a Bronx mosque as early voting began [1]. Separate coverage documents a 2024 anniversary social‑media post from Mamdani reading, in part, “Nearly 3,000 New Yorkers died on 9/11. We mourn our neighbors who died that day. The countless first responders and families whose lives were forever changed. The millions who suffered in the wars that followed.” That post’s wording and prior variations have been flagged by critics for omissions and repetition [2].
3. Where accounts diverge and why verification is incomplete — tracking conflicting provenance
Reports conflict on timing and responsibility: one analysis attributes an incendiary line — “America deserved 9/11” — not to Mamdani but to Hasan Piker on a 2019 livestream, and notes Mamdani later disavowed those remarks when criticized, showing associational complexity rather than direct authorship [3]. Another source states Mamdani spoke at a 9/11 memorial ceremony but did not record a distinct comment, while yet other pieces assert a mosque‑side remark tied to early voting; the supplied sources therefore leave open whether a single, attributable “Muslims are the real victims” soundbite exists in Mamdani’s own words or whether the phrase is interpretive framing by critics and extrapolations from his anecdotes [4] [1] [5].
4. The broader pattern: anniversary posts, omissions, and political framing that fuel controversy
Beyond the anecdotal subway line, reporting documents a pattern of similar anniversary statements from Mamdani across years, including a 2024 post that critics say initially omitted explicit mention of first responders and later variations that added such language, prompting criticism from 9/11 responders and law‑enforcement figures. Political opponents and super PACs have amplified both the anecdote and the associational disputes to portray Mamdani as either insensitive to 9/11 victims or insufficiently attentive to symbolism — a framing that plays strongly in a municipal race environment where public memory and honorific language carry electoral weight [2] [3].
5. The bottom line for verification and what remains unresolved
The material provided establishes that Mamdani publicly recounted an aunt’s post‑9/11 subway avoidance and posted anniversary statements with varying wording; the exact phrase “Muslims are the real victims of 9/11” as a direct, attributable quote from Mamdani is not consistently documented across the supplied reports. Key unresolved points include the precise date of the mosque‑side remark (coverage ties it to late October 2025 early‑voting activity but does not supply a definitive timestamp) and whether some incendiary lines attributed in political attacks derive from associates rather than Mamdani himself [1] [3]. For conclusive verification, original video or an on‑the‑record transcript of the alleged mosque remarks and the archive of Mamdani’s social‑media posts should be examined.