“American Jedi: The Salmon Hamdani Story” a short film screening plus talkback will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 6:30 pm at the University of Michigan Helmet Stern Auditorium. Filmmakers Nick Eyde and Mohammed Khalil will be hosting this free screening but rsvp’s are encouraged at bit.ly/AmJediåa
On the morning of Sept.11, 2001 Salman Hamdani took a daring leap and rushed towards the twin towers. When the Muslim American’s body was not immediately found, his absence lead to questions and grave suspicions. His family was forced to overcome tragedy and ostracization in response to their son’s death.
Hamdani was a certified emergency medical technician and a police cadet for three years. He had already taken the test for the police academy but was hoping a career in medicine might be on the horizon.
It is thought that on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Hamdani, traveling to work at a DNA lab at Rockefeller University, saw the burning towers and rushed to give aid.
When his name came up as a person missing, fliers were sent to police stations with headlines stating he was wanted for questioning. He was found in October 2001, along with his medical bag, in the wreckage of the North Tower at Ground Zero.
What followed has been a family’s grief and dedication to clearing his name and reversing the ill will. More importantly, making sure that Hamdani’s legacy is of a person who stepped in to help. Mr. Hamdani’s funeral was held in April 2002 with full police honors.
His name is not listed on the police fallen, because he was only a cadet and only police were listed. In 2009 Mrs. Hamdani was dealt another blow and informed that her son would not be a part of the memorial since he did not have a patron and there was no one to help her cause.
The bureaucracy of the memorial name placing has been daunting. His name appears on the last panel for World Trade Center along with victims whose names did not fit into the traditional mold that the memorial preferred. The section is for those who had only a loose connection, or none, to the World Trade Center. On the 10th anniversary of the attacks Mrs. Hamdani stated “You are equal no matter where you are buried, whether your name is there or not. By your actions the world remembers you.”