Mohammed Salman Hamdani
Encyclopedia
Mohammad Salman Hamdani (December 28, 1977 – September 11, 2001) was a Muslim
American
who died at the World Trade Center in the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks
(9/11).
, Pakistan
and moved to America with his parents when he was only 13 months old. He had two younger brothers, Adnaan and Zeshan, who were born in the US. His mother Talat taught English at a middle school
in Queens
and his father Saleem was the owner and operator of a convenience store
in Brooklyn
.
He was on his high school's football team
in Bayside, Queens
where he lived. He majored in chemistry
at Queens College
and graduated in June 2001. In July he started employment as a research technician at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute of Rockefeller University
in the Protein/DNA Technology Center, and additionally had a part time job driving an ambulance. He was an NYFD
-certified Emergency Medical Technician
(EMT) and a New York City Police Department cadet. The night before 9/11 he was working on an application for medical school and helping his father cope with heart disease.
and his remains were found in the rubble of the North Tower.
At first Hamdani was listed as missing and there were media reports that he was under investigation as being possibly involved in the attack. In October 2001 an unidentified body along with Hamdani's medical bag and identification were found at Ground Zero
, the site of the destroyed World Trade Center. His body was not yet positively identified by DNA profiling. He was declared a hero by Congress that October, 45 days after the attacks. Specifically, he is mentioned in the USA PATRIOT Act
, Title 1
in section 102 (titled "Sense of Congress condemning discrimination against Arab and Muslim Americans"), which states that:
Months later in March 2002, his remains were identified and shortly afterwards on April 5, 2002 at the Islamic Cultural Center of New York
, he was memorialized as a hero by Mayor Bloomberg
, Police Commissioner Kelly, Congressman Ackerman
and 500 others. A memorial scholarship fund in his name, for outstanding Pakistani-American students, was created at Rockefeller University in 2002 by his mother Talat Hamdani. The 2002 film 11'9"01 September 11 has an 11 minute segment India that is a docu-drama based on Mohammed Salman Hamdani and his family.
On March 10, 2011, Minnesota
Congressman Keith Ellison
, in his testimony before the House of Representatives’ Committee on Homeland Security
for its hearing on “The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and That Community’s Response”, cited Mr. Hamdani as being falsely accused of being involved in the WTC attacks only because he was a Muslim.
At the National 9/11 Memorial, Hamdani is memorialized at the South Pool, on Panel S-66.
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
who died at the World Trade Center in the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
(9/11).
Early life
Hamdani was born in KarachiKarachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and moved to America with his parents when he was only 13 months old. He had two younger brothers, Adnaan and Zeshan, who were born in the US. His mother Talat taught English at a middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
and his father Saleem was the owner and operator of a convenience store
Convenience store
A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
.
He was on his high school's football team
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
in Bayside, Queens
Bayside, Queens
Bayside is a suburban neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York, New York in the United States. Bayside is known as one of the most expensive areas to live in Queens, with well kept homes and landscaping...
where he lived. He majored in chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
at Queens College
Queens College, City University of New York
Queens College, located in Flushing, Queens, New York City, is one of the senior colleges of the City University of New York. It is also the fifth oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning. The college's seventy seven acre campus is located in the heart of the...
and graduated in June 2001. In July he started employment as a research technician at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute of Rockefeller University
Rockefeller University
The Rockefeller University is a private university offering postgraduate and postdoctoral education. It has a strong concentration in the biological sciences. It is also known for producing numerous Nobel laureates...
in the Protein/DNA Technology Center, and additionally had a part time job driving an ambulance. He was an NYFD
New York City Fire Department
The New York City Fire Department or the Fire Department of the City of New York has the responsibility for protecting the citizens and property of New York City's five boroughs from fires and fire hazards, providing emergency medical services, technical rescue as well as providing first response...
-certified Emergency Medical Technician
Emergency medical technician
Emergency Medical Technician or Ambulance Technician are terms used in some countries to denote a healthcare provider of emergency medical services...
(EMT) and a New York City Police Department cadet. The night before 9/11 he was working on an application for medical school and helping his father cope with heart disease.
September 11 attacks
It was believed that on the morning of September 11, 2001, while on the way to work at Rockefeller University, Hamdani witnessed the smoke coming from the Twin Towers and hurried to the scene to aid victims, using his police and EMT identification to get a ride through the restricted traffic. He died in the World Trade CenterWorld Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
and his remains were found in the rubble of the North Tower.
At first Hamdani was listed as missing and there were media reports that he was under investigation as being possibly involved in the attack. In October 2001 an unidentified body along with Hamdani's medical bag and identification were found at Ground Zero
World Trade Center site
The World Trade Center site , also known as "Ground Zero" after the September 11 attacks, sits on in Lower Manhattan in New York City...
, the site of the destroyed World Trade Center. His body was not yet positively identified by DNA profiling. He was declared a hero by Congress that October, 45 days after the attacks. Specifically, he is mentioned in the USA PATRIOT Act
USA PATRIOT Act
The USA PATRIOT Act is an Act of the U.S. Congress that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001...
, Title 1
USA PATRIOT Act, Title I
Title I: Enhancing Domestic Security against Terrorism is the first of ten titles which comprise the USA PATRIOT Act, an anti-terrorism bill passed in the United States after the September 11, 2001 attacks...
in section 102 (titled "Sense of Congress condemning discrimination against Arab and Muslim Americans"), which states that:
- Many Arab AmericanArab AmericanAn Arab American is a United States citizen or resident of Arab ethnic, cultural and linguistic heritage or identity, who identifies themselves as Arab. Arab Americans trace ancestry to any of the various waves of immigrants of the countries comprising the Arab World...
s and Muslim Americans have acted heroically during the attacks on the United States, including Mohammed Salman Hamdani, a 23-year-old New Yorker of Pakistani descent, who is believed to have gone to the World Trade Center to offer rescue assistance and is now missing.
Months later in March 2002, his remains were identified and shortly afterwards on April 5, 2002 at the Islamic Cultural Center of New York
Islamic Cultural Center of New York
The Islamic Cultural Center of New York is a mosque and Islamic cultural center in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It is located at 1711 Third Avenue, between East 96th and 97th Streets. The Islamic Cultural Center was the first mosque built in New York City...
, he was memorialized as a hero by Mayor Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
, Police Commissioner Kelly, Congressman Ackerman
Gary Ackerman
Gary Leonard Ackerman is the U.S. Representative for , serving since a special election in 1983. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
and 500 others. A memorial scholarship fund in his name, for outstanding Pakistani-American students, was created at Rockefeller University in 2002 by his mother Talat Hamdani. The 2002 film 11'9"01 September 11 has an 11 minute segment India that is a docu-drama based on Mohammed Salman Hamdani and his family.
On March 10, 2011, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
Congressman Keith Ellison
Keith Ellison (politician)
Keith Maurice Ellison is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. The district centers on Minneapolis. He was re-elected in 2010. Ellison is a co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.He is the first Muslim to be elected to the...
, in his testimony before the House of Representatives’ Committee on Homeland Security
United States House Committee on Homeland Security
The U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress. Its responsibilities include U.S...
for its hearing on “The Extent of Radicalization in the American Muslim Community and That Community’s Response”, cited Mr. Hamdani as being falsely accused of being involved in the WTC attacks only because he was a Muslim.
At the National 9/11 Memorial, Hamdani is memorialized at the South Pool, on Panel S-66.