After 9/11, Muslim New Yorkers faced suspicion, harassment, and surveillance, prompting community mobilization. Mosques hosted legal clinics, small businesses became civil rights hubs, and diverse Muslim groups formed unprecedented alliances. This organizing helped elect Zohran Mamdani as the city’s first Muslim mayor.

Murad Awawdeh, now president of the New York Immigration Coalition, shifted from biochemistry to civil rights after witnessing post-9/11 backlash at age 14. Afaf Nasher of CAIR-NY noted Muslim Americans were largely politically inactive before 9/11 but pushed back when targeted. Despite progress, challenges persist: police surveillance, bias against religious expression like hijabs, and backlash over Gaza advocacy.

Observant Sikhs are also affected due to mistaken identity. Asad Dandia sued the NYPD over CIA-assisted Muslim neighborhood surveillance. The war in Gaza has reignited fears of being labeled terrorist sympathizers, echoing post-9/11 hostility.