Overview
- Gov. Kathy Hochul proclaimed January as Muslim American Heritage Month and ordered 16 state landmarks to glow green Friday night, including One World Trade Center.
- Hochul said New York hosts the nation’s largest Muslim American population and described the observance as recognition of community contributions and a stand against Islamophobia.
- New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other Muslim elected officials publicly supported the move, calling it an affirmation of Muslim New Yorkers’ role in civic life.
- Critics on social media and some activists labeled lighting the World Trade Center site insensitive, citing its link to the 9/11 attacks.
- Other illuminated sites included the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, the Grand Central Terminal Pershing Square Viaduct, the Albany International Airport Gateway, the LIRR East End Gateway, and the Roosevelt Island Lighthouse.