Mamdani should skip 9/11 ceremony, says Giuliani during tirade against Islam

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani has called on Zohran Mamdani to skip this week's 9/11 memorial ceremony, saying the current mayor's planned attendance at an event marking the 25th anniversary of the attacks offended him.

"Having lost friends there and being very close to many of the families, it offends me that he's coming," Giuliani said in an interview with Newsmax, reports The Guardian.

Asked directly whether Mamdani should skip the ceremony, Giuliani said: "Well, there's no question he should."

Giuliani also criticised Mamdani's Muslim faith and drew parallels between the mayor and the hijackers who carried out the 11 September 2001 attacks under al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Giuliani said the hijackers had openly carried out their attacks in the name of Islam, while claiming Mamdani was "trying to hide it". He also asserted that Mamdani believes Islam should be the dominant religion.

Mamdani and his office have declined to comment directly on Giuliani's remarks.

Mamdani has confirmed that he will attend the main memorial ceremony on Friday, as well as several other 9/11 events, saying he intends to stand with first responders and families of those killed in the attacks. He also attended last year's ceremony before taking office as mayor.

"I'm proud to be the mayor of this city. I love this city. I love this country," Mamdani said.

He said the anniversary should focus on those directly affected by the attacks.

"What I want this week to be a focus on is on the families whose loved ones were stolen from them 25 years ago in the horrific act of terror of 11 September, and a focus also on the first responders who did everything they could."

Mamdani recently issued an executive order designating 11 September as an official citywide "Day of Remembrance and Service". The order includes a citywide moment of silence and establishes a new emergency preparedness task force.

His planned attendance has also drawn criticism from other political figures and members of the public. Former New York Governor George Pataki has opposed Mamdani's participation, while an online petition calling on the mayor to skip the ceremony has collected close to 100,000 signatures.

Mamdani has previously spoken about the backlash faced by Muslim and other communities in New York after the attacks. In an interview with the New York Times last year, he said: "It was this horrific day that was also, for many New Yorkers, the moment at which they were marked an 'other'."

The memorial ceremony will mark 25 years since the attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. Several prominent US political figures are expected to attend, including former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

The White House has said President Donald Trump will not attend the New York ceremony and is expected instead to commemorate the anniversary at the Pentagon. Vice President JD Vance is expected to represent the White House at the New York event.