A cadre of local Muslim groups and Democratic City Council members fired off a letter to Mayor Adams on Wednesday condemning his “disheartening” termination of Hassan Naveed, the former head of City Hall’s hate crimes prevention unit who has said his ouster was the result of faith-based discrimination.
The letter, signed by 17 Council members and 14 mostly Muslim community groups, took particular issue with claims from the mayor and his press office that Naveed was axed last month because he didn’t put “bringing hate crimes down first.”
“To suggest that he prioritized himself over the city’s mission of combating hate crimes against all New Yorkers is not only unfounded, but deeply offensive to those who have worked closely with him, and who he has helped over the years,” read the letter, a copy of which was exclusively obtained by the Daily News.
“Questioning his integrity and character is not just disheartening; it is an affront to everything we stand for as a city.”
Asked for a response to the letter Wednesday, Adams’ office referred to comments the mayor made about Naveed last month.
In those remarks, the mayor dismissed that Naveed was canned due to his Muslim faith. Instead, he suggested Naveed didn’t “live up” to the job, given that there has been a recent spike in hate crimes in the city.
The Hamas Oct. 7 terror attack in Israel and the war in Gaza that followed have sparked protests and anger across New York.
As of April 14, there had been 96 reported anti-Semitic hate crimes this year, a 45% increase compared with the same time frame in 2023, and nine reported Islamophobic hate crimes, compared with just one in the same span in 2023, NYPD data show.
In responding to Naveed’s discrimination accusation, Adams also noted he has other Muslim employees in his administration.
The signatories on Wednesday’s missive include Brooklyn Councilwoman Shahana Hanif and Manhattan Councilman Yusef Salaam, the chamber’s only two Muslim members.
Among the community groups that signed on to the letter is Majlis Ash-Shura, an umbrella organization representing more than 90 local mosques.
That group has a history of supporting Adams that includes inviting him to deliver remarks at its 30th anniversary gala in 2019, when he was Brooklyn borough president. But the group has recently been critical of politicians who aren’t calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war; Adams is among those who haven’t. More than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza as part of the military campaign Israel launched in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack.
Wednesday’s letter echoed some of Majlis Ash-Shura’s concerns over the tumult in the Middle East, charging there has recently been “a change” in the Adams administration’s “approach with vulnerable communities, raising concerns about fair representation for all New Yorkers.”
Hanif, a frequent Adams critic who is co-chairwoman of the Council’s Progressive Caucus, said in an interview that part of the letter is about what she sees as a disregard for Palestinians and Muslims amid the devastation in Gaza.
“Since Oct. 7, the Adams administration has consistently dismissed discrimination against Muslims and Palestinians,” she said.
Naveed declined to comment on the letter to the mayor.
As first reported by The News, Naveed was booted on April 16 from his job as executive director of the Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes. He told The News he wasn’t given a reason for his firing, but that he believes it was the result of his Muslim faith. He also said he has hired an attorney and that he’s in the process of filing a legal claim alleging he was the victim of discrimination.
It’s unclear who’ll replace Naveed, and his former office now has only one staffer.
The letter from the Council members and the community groups argued it’s preposterous for Adams to point blame at Naveed for a hate crime uptick, since his administration has cut funding and staff for the Hate Crimes Prevention Office. The letter also contended City Hall’s treatment of Naveed sets a troubling precedent.
“Despite the presence of a few Muslim members within this administration, using their mere existence as grounds to dismiss legitimate claims of discrimination is unacceptable,” it said. “Publicly singling out an individual like Mr. Naveed and attributing circumstances solely to unsubstantiated performance issues, while disregarding such discrimination claims, sends a chilling message to others and creates a barrier that discourages reporting workplace harassment, hate crimes, discrimination, bullying and bias incidents without fear of retaliation.”
