Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Hosts 1st Anniversary Memorial Ceremony for Detective Didarul Islam
Zohran Mamdani on NYC Mayor's Office transcripts.
Passages
Good morning, everyone. To the Islam family, to the men and women of the 47th precinct, to the dedicated service members of the NYPD, to the people of Parkchester, it is a privilege to be together with you today as we honor the life and memory of first grade Detective Didarul Islam. I want to acknowledge that I stand here alongside leaders both inside and outside of our administration, our Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, our First Deputy Commissioner Tania Kinsella, our 46th precinct Commanding Officer Deputy Inspector Muhammad Ashraf, our PBA President Patrick Hendry, our Detectives Endowment Association President Scott Monro, Officer Kamrul Hasan, Detective Islam's brother-in-law, and the entire Islam family, as well as our Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson and our State Senator Jamaal Bailey. Exactly one year ago today, Detective Islam walked into 345 Park Avenue to fill in shift as a security guard. It was technically his day off after a long and demanding week as an officer for the NYPD. At home, he was busy raising two young children. His wife, Jamila, was pregnant with their third. But for Detective Islam, taking on extra work to protect his fellow New Yorkers was not a burden — it was a way of life. He regularly volunteered to work special details, overtime, an off-duty gig so that he could provide not only for his family here in Parkchester, but his relatives in Bangladesh. That was the kind of man Detective Islam was: generous, steady, humble, kind, compassionate and hardworking. He raised thousands of dollars to support his cousin's masjid, Masjid Bilal here in Parkchester, where on some days he would attend all five prayers. He took his brother-in-law, Officer Hasan, to get his learner's permit and helped him to get to his first job. He mentored young men in his community and encouraged them to join the force. He rented out the apartment beneath his home and earned the reputation as a good and responsible landlord and a warm and reliable neighbor. In the words of one of his tenants, “He did everything he could for us.” Detective Islam died as he lived, in the service and protection of others. In the midst of a horrific mass shooting, the worst our city had seen in 25 years, he placed himself in front of an assault rifle so that his fellow New Yorkers could escape to safety. It is an act of courage, unfathomable to most. Though a year has passed, I know that his loss remains painfully raw. To Jamila, Ahyan, Azhaan, Arham, I know you still mourn the husband and the father taken from you too early, his daily love and support. To Officer Hasan, I know that you still mourn a brother and a friend even as you have had to shoulder the responsibilities he carried as provider and protector of your family. To every member of the Islam family who has lost that brother, to his fellow officers here at Precinct 47, I know you still mourn a mentor, a trusted partner, and an exemplary officer for whom duty and service were simply a way of life. I mourn alongside you. And yet I hope there is some comfort in knowing the good that Detective Islam did for others lives on in his absence. It lives on in the strength of his children who are growing up supported by the foundation he laid in the community he helped to build. It lives on in a police force that is stronger for his influence and for the many officers who answered the call to serve because of him. It lives in the streets of Parkchester that are safer because of the countless times he walked them on his beat. It lives on in each and every New Yorker who was better just for having shared a meal with him, just for being helped by his kindness, just for having prayed alongside him. If there is any relief to be found in the loss of such a great man, let it be found in the lesson of Sadaqah Jariyah. Detective Islam's good work will continue to flow outward and better the lives of others long past his time on Earth. Let us recommit ourselves to uplifting those good works. Let us re-commit ourselves to building a New York City worthy of his legacy. And let us re-commit ourselves to the same values of duty, compassion, solidarity and service that defined him both in life and in death. I remember a year ago Officer Hasan told me that while I had never met Detective Islam, that he and his brother-in-law had been at the same place that I had gathered as well for Eid prayers. And though I was only that close to him in life, it feels as if I and so many other New Yorkers have been able to get closer to him in death, understanding a man whose legacy lives on in every good act that we have seen by so many that he had known. Allah yerhamo. May Allah's mercy be upon him.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source
Every passage above is taken from this recording: NYC Mayor's Office transcripts, Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Hosts 1st Anniversary Memorial Ceremony for Detective Didarul Islam.