Honoring Salman Hamdani
On Monday, April 28, a street naming ceremony was held in honor of Salman Hamdani, a Pakistani-American EMT and a member of the New York City Police Department’s cadet program who died as a first responder on 9/11. His mother Mrs. Hamdani has been struggling since 9/11 to have Salman be recognized for who he was, a true American hero. In the immediate aftermath, flyers about the missing Hamdani were ripped down, and Mrs. Hamdani faced questions by the police about his politics. His body was found after four months, and eventually he was celebrated by the New York Police Department and Mayor Bloomberg as a first responder. With the 9/11 Memorial not recognizing Hamdani as an “official” first responder, the street naming represents a significant achievement and victory for his mother, Talat Hamdani, the Hamdani family and for American Muslims. Sarah Sayeed, Director of Community Partnerships attended the program held in Bayside Queens.
