Muslim-American civil rights organizations denounce “Islamophobic” attacks against Imam Siraj Wahhaj

A photo of socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani with Councilmember Yusef Salaam and Imam Siraj Wahhaj, taken during a visit to Masjid At-Taqwa in Brooklyn, has gone viral after being amplified by right-wing media outlets.

One day after Mamdani posted the photo, the right-wing New York Post put out the headline “Mamdani appears smiling, arm-in-arm with unindicted ‘93 WTC bombing co-conspirator and terrorist apologist.” The Post article labeled Imam Siraj as an “unindicted co-conspirator,” of the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. 

“‘Unindicted co-conspirator’ is a bullshit term with no real legal meaning,” wrote Zeteo founder Mehdi Hasan on X. 

Hasan was responded to a post by Vice President JD Vance, who wrote: “I’ve been reliably informed that Democrats are opposed to any kind of political violence, so I look forward to them universally condemning Zohran Mamdani for campaigning with an unindicted co-conspirator in a terrorist plot that killed 6 New Yorkers.”

Retired FBI agents who investigated the 1993 WTO bombings also joined in on the attacks against Imam Siraj, claiming the Muslim leader “has endorsed a radical agenda,” according to retired FBI agent John Anticev.

“We strongly condemn these dishonest and defamatory attacks on Imam Siraj Wahhaj,” wrote the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on X. CAIR labeled the New York Post as a “a racist propaganda outlet masquerading as a news outlet.” 

“Unindicted co-conspirator is a label that the government has repeatedly used to smear American Muslims who have done nothing wrong,” CAIR wrote. 

“Labeling Muslims as ‘unindicted co-conspirators’ is one of the most un-American things our government has ever done,” wrote Dr. Yasir Qadhi on X. Qadhi, a Muslim scholar, wrote that “Imam Siraj Wahhaj was one of more than 170 people whose names were placed on a secret list. Not because they were charged or convicted, but because they were Muslim and outspoken at a time when fear ruled reason.”

Muslim civil rights leaders rally outside News Corp HQ

On Tuesday, October 21, Muslim civil rights leaders and organizations rallied in New York City, outside the headquarters of News Corp, which owns the New York Post and other right-leaning outlets including Fox News. The press conference was attended by organizations including the Yemeni American Merchants Association (YAMA), CAIR-NY, Black Muslims Now, Emgage, Muslim Community Network, Sakhi, Hindus for Human Rights, and NYC Small Business Owners.

Rally goers held signs reading “hands off our neighbors”. Muslim leaders from Imam Siraj Wahhaj’s mosque, Masjid At-Taqwa, showed up in support, proclaiming, “When Muslims unite, it’s [called] radical.” The press conference was also subject to significant Islamophobic heckling as recorded in an Instagram story published by the Muslim Community Network. Hecklers could be heard shouting “Islam is not a religion” and “You’re a terrorist”.

A leader from Masjid At-Taqwa read a statement, speaking over Islamophobic heckles. “Islam supports and upholds the principle of innocent until proven guilty. It has been 25 years, and there has never been any substantiation of this claim.”

“This slander has no weight in any court,” the leader continued.

Mamdani responded to the attacks against Imam Siraj on Sunday, October 19, telling reporters at an unrelated event that “the same imam met with Mayor Bloomberg, met with Mayor De Blasio, campaigned alongside Eric Adams, and the only time it became an issue of national attention was when I met with him.”

Attacks against Imam Siraj highlight NYPD surveillance of Muslims

In 2004, Imam Siraj was placed on an NYPD internal terrorism watch list with the note: “Political ideology moderately radical and anti-American.” Civil rights leaders in the United States have lambasted the NYPD’s history of the surveillance and targeting of Muslims in New York City. 

“Since at least 2002, the New York City Police Department’s Intelligence Division has engaged in the religious profiling and suspicionless surveillance of Muslims in New York City and beyond,” reads a fact sheet published by the ACLU and CUNY’s Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility (CLEAR) project. “The names of thousands of innocent New Yorkers have been placed in secret police files. Information is kept both in an intelligence database and on a standalone computer used to generate intelligence reports.”

“Dragging up discredited allegations from decades ago, with zero evidence, is not journalism, it’s Islamophobic fear-mongering,” wrote the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) on X. “Imam Siraj has spent over 40 years building safer neighborhoods, uplifting the marginalized, and advocating for justice. His legacy speaks louder than sensational headlines ever could. We won’t stay silent while our leaders are attacked.”