{"id":29068,"date":"2026-01-05T15:58:31","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T15:58:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/?p=29068"},"modified":"2026-01-05T15:58:31","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T15:58:31","slug":"ny-gov-hochul-orders-one-world-trade-center-lit-green-for-muslim-heritage-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/?p=29068","title":{"rendered":"NY Gov. Hochul Orders One World Trade Center Lit Green For Muslim Heritage Month"},"content":{"rendered":"

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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul drew sharp criticism Friday after ordering 16 state landmarks, including Manhattan\u2019s One World Trade Center, to be illuminated in green to mark Muslim American Heritage Month. The decision to light the skyscraper built at the site of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks sparked backlash on social media, with critics calling the move \u201ctone deaf\u201d and \u201cdisgusting,\u201d The New York Post\u00a0reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe twin towers were unable to be lit green tonight,\u201d Queens Republican Councilwoman Vickie Paladino wrote on X.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s disgusting that the Freedom Tower \u2013 which stands at the World Trade Center site \u2013 is lit in green to celebrate Islam,\u201d Defense of Freedom Institute spokeswoman Angela Morabito wrote in a post on X.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat \u2018contributions of Muslim communities\u2019 are you honoring here, Governor?\u201d Morabito continued. \u201cThe time the worst among them killed thousands of innocent Americans?\u201d<\/p>\n

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Hochul signed a proclamation Friday declaring January as Muslim American Heritage Month in New York for the first time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe resilience, compassion, and contributions of Muslim communities help make our state stronger,\u201d Hochul wrote on X, alongside photos of One World Trade Center and other buildings illuminated in green, a color considered sacred in Islam.<\/p>\n

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The lighting sparked disbelief among some social media users.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere must be some mistake, this can\u2019t be real??\u201d one user wrote.<\/p>\n

Political activist Drew Pavlou questioned the decision, writing, \u201cLighting up the new World Trade Center in the colors of Islam is a bit much, don\u2019t you think.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cOf all the tone deaf things, this is the deafest,\u201d another user wrote.<\/p>\n

Hochul said New York is home to the largest Muslim American population in the nation and described the state as a \u201cbeacon of hope, tolerance, and inclusivity.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said the initiative is intended to celebrate Muslim New Yorkers while protecting them from Islamophobia, hate, bias, and harm.<\/p>\n

A press release from the governor\u2019s office included a statement from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who was sworn in Thursday and is the city\u2019s first Muslim mayor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I was proud to be sworn in as our city\u2019s first Muslim mayor yesterday, Muslims have been part of New York for centuries,\u201d Mamdani wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have built small businesses, raised our families, pursued every profession, enriched our culture and cuisine, and been a part of what makes our city what it is today,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am grateful for Governor Hochul\u2019s leadership in recognizing these many contributions and ensuring that every January, Muslim New Yorkers can see ourselves reflected and recognized in a city and state that is also our home.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Other landmarks Hochul ordered to be illuminated green include the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, Grand Central Terminal\u2019s Pershing Square Viaduct, Albany International Airport Gateway, the MTA LIRR East End Gateway at Penn Station, and the Roosevelt Island Lighthouse.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s government on Friday accused newly sworn-in New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of antisemitism after he\u00a0revoked<\/a>\u00a0all of former Mayor Eric Adams\u2019 executive orders issued since Adams\u2019 2024 indictment \u2014 including two measures explicitly supportive of Israel.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn his very first day as mayor, Mamdani shows his true face: He scraps the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifts restrictions on boycotting Israel,\u201d Israel\u2019s Foreign Ministry wrote on X. \u201cThis isn\u2019t leadership. It\u2019s antisemitic gasoline on an open fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ministry\u2019s\u00a0rebuke<\/a>\u00a0followed widespread criticism from Jewish groups and New York Republicans who argued Mamdani\u2019s actions would weaken protections for the city\u2019s Jewish residents.<\/p>\n

The IHRA definition, used by the U.S. State Department since 2010, characterizes antisemitism as \u201ca certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews,\u201d including the \u201cdemonization or application of double standards to Israel.\u201d According to the Anti-Defamation League, more than 1,000 institutions worldwide have adopted the standard, describing it as the international consensus.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul drew sharp criticism Friday after ordering 16 state landmarks, including Manhattan\u2019s One World Trade Center, to be illuminated in green to mark Muslim American Heritage … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29069,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29068","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29068"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29068\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29070,"href":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29068\/revisions\/29070"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29068"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29068"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cndailynews.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29068"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}