“9/11 ought to be recounted primarily through the stories of Muslims”
Zohran Mamdani’s decision to pass the pen used to sign a 9/11 commemorative order to Ramzi Kassem, the lawyer for the 20th 9/11 hijacker, whom he had appointed as the city’s chief counsel blew up, outraging 9/11 families and members of the NYPD.
This was not an accident as demonstrated by the decision to feature Kassem in a Gothamist puff piece about how Muslims were the real victims of 9/11 and Americans should feel guilty for resisting Islamic colonial terrorism.
And Ramzi Kassem, who volunteered as a legal translator at a nearby prison, remembers being briefly detained by a guard who suspected he might be a terrorism suspect.
Kassem, 48, spent years fighting civil rights abuses during the federal government’s war on terror and the NYPD’s extensive surveillance of Muslim communities. He now serves as Mamdani’s chief counsel.
“I could not have known then that much of my legal career would be spent standing with clients and communities who bore the brunt of government actions in the days and years that followed: immigrant New Yorkers and Muslims here and abroad subjected to registration, detention, incarceration, surveillance, torture, war or worse,” Kassem, whom City Hall declined to make available for an interview, said in a statement. “Many people who saw 9/11 for what it was — a horrific act of mass murder — were nonetheless treated as enemies.”
Here’s how Kassem actually saw it.
“This is not a battle of good versus evil,” Ramzi Kassem wrote in an op-ed that appeared on September 17, 2001. “The perpetrators were probably not driven to their actions by some intrinsic evil or inherent hatred of the good United States.”
He went on to argue that the Al Qaeda attack a week earlier was the result of the “resentment these terrorists felt towards the United States” as a result of “our country’s policies.”
Two decades later, Kassem, a prominent terror lawyer, claimed in a Washington Post op-ed that, “since 9/11, the government has consistently used the law to enable, operationalize and justify the violence it has deployed against Muslims.”
And that, “the legacy of 9/11 ought to be recounted primarily through the stories of Muslims the world over who have largely paid the price of American power and prosperity.”
Ramzi Kassem had boasted of having “held the record for the longest delayed security clearance in the Guantánamo setting”, but even that does not seem to have dissuaded the Biden administration from bringing him on board.
While some leave behind the extremist views of their college years, Ramzi Kassem instead built a career around them, becoming a noted terrorist lawyer whose Gitmo inmate clients included Ahmed al-Darbi, an Al Qaeda terrorist and the brother-in-law of one of the hijackers who flew a plane into the Pentagon, and who was himself a key figure in the bombing of an oil tanker.
In his columns, as in his activism, Ramzi Kassem repeatedly justified terrorism as a reaction to its victims. “Terrorism is but one of many reactions to oppression and dispossession and not their cause.”
While at Columbia University, Kassem co-founded Turath, an association of Muslim students, and then Qanun at Columbia Law. A fellow student described these hateful groups as having brought “under the guidance of Mr. Kassem… speakers to this campus that support violence against American and Israeli civilians… defended the genocidal program of Hamas.”
Does this sound like a man who “saw 9/11 for what it was — a horrific act of mass murder ” But rather than treating his as an enemy, we put him in power over us.
somehistory says
Lies from a muzzie. Nothing less out of his mouth. What else….besides the actions (various forms of terrorism) which he defends…is to be expected.
wonder how often he beats his wife.
Walter Sieruk says
That terribly insincere mayor of New York City ,Zohan Mamdani ,had proven himself to be a liar. For that lying stealth jihadist said “I love this city I love this country.” In that statement Mamdani is putting into practice the Islamic doctrine of Taqqyya, Which is the teaching that speaking lies of deception are good things to do as long as the lying deceit is done for the advancement of Islam ,with its Sharia.
Walter Sieruk says
The movement of the relatives of those murdered by Muslim terrorists on 9/11/2001 have signed a petition calling on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani not to attend the 25th anniversary ceremony, is very good idea.
For insidious un-American Islamic subversive stealth jihadist Mamdani is a two legged walking and talking affront of adding insult to injury to the surviving family members of the people who had been murdered on Islamic attacks of Islam’s jihad on September 11th. 2001 by the Muslim terrorists of al Qaeda.
Walter Sieruk says
One thing is for sure, which is that the surviving family members of the people who had been murdered by Muslim terrorists on September 11th 2001 are right and justified by having a petition to ban that Muslim mayor Zohan Mamdani from being present at the 25th anniversary memorial events.
For Mamdani is very fond of death –inflection jihad terrorism as observed by his favorable view those murderous affronts committed by the jihadists of Hamas of 10/7/.23 which is the opposite side of the 9/11 jihad terror /murder coin
Kepha says
Uncle Kepha joins with those who think Hizdizzoner Mamdani has no business at the 9/11 commemoration. Were I a New Yorker, I’d go to the commemoration just to visibly turn my back when he speaks, even if I suffer a minor mobility issue.
So Ramzi Kessem says the terorists felt resentment against Americans for our policies. Thank you for such honest, Mr. Kessem; and, since the US Constitution guarantees right of counsel, I don’t even hold it against you if you represented Ahmed al_Darbi. But Kessem seems to be of a piece with the Saudi bigwig who wanted Guiliani to acknowledge that America had been wrong in the Middle East in order to get a fat Saudi check for rebuilding. Well, even if I don’t hold to Dispensational theology re Israel, I sure don’t want to see seven million people killed or thrown in the sea, and I don’t think American policies to prevent that were wrong, either. Besides, all my life, I’ve heard from the Left, “We’ve got to understand those poor, misunderstood….” Unfortunately, I think I do understand at this point. There are people who hate a quit, decent, orderly life lived by a neighbor regardless of whether he’s rich, poor, or middle class. Mr. Kessem, along with Hasan Piker and Hisdizonner Mamdani are all of that kind.
But I will up the ante with Mr. Kessem. I read Saiyyid Qutb. He clearly hated the US for a lot more than supporting Israel; such as attractive women, the sexes dancing together, laws not informed by Shariah, etc. Those people will hate us for what we are, and there is nothing we can do short of converting to Islam en masses that will change their deep-seated attitude. And, I suspect, even if we were to convert on Islam en masse, they’d probably still feel contempt for a lot of us for lacking a long Islamic pedigree, and even some of those who would be multigenerational Muslims would still be “Abeed” (slaves) in their eyes due to skin color.
I hope Mamdani’s naked mendacity and hypocrisy about 9.11, and his attempt to turn those who sympathized with the perps into the real victims backfires. I pray NEw York would wake up to the sort of person they’ve elected.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I agree w/ Uncle Kepha. Except that I’m not sure that those attendees at the 9/11 events day after tomorrow should merely turn their backs on him. Instead, they should forget that it’s a solemn occasion – I know that’s hard – and jeer him & cause such a ruckus that both he and Hochul are forced to leave, sans their security. Teach them a good lesson so that they never dare (dis)grace any of these events w/ their odious presence
Sarprina81 says
Shame on New Yorkers for electing this enemy from within as an elected official.
ploome says
Mamdani represents the diverse population, and their cultures and agenda,
who have migrated to America, for
Americans to GIVE THEM a better life and Louis Vuitton handbags, and Nike sneakers
these third world countries have sent us their best so they can teach us how to make a better America
ploome says
and he gave the pen to Police Commissioner Tisch, who is Jewish
….to give to Ramzi Kessem
Particularly vile decision
and Tisch looked like she was going to throw up……she left as soon as possible
she really should have “accidentally” dropped the pen and “accidentally” kicked it away
OLD GUY says
Ask yourself the question, why are so many muslims in political office or running for public offices when they represent less than 1-1/2 percent of the population.
ploome says
they are here to take over
rich country, lots pf benefits, good looking women
easy hookups