[12][13][14][15][16] During the summer of 2010, the conversion of a building in Manhattan to a mosque triggered controversy for some Americans as it was less than a mile from the site where the World Trade Center towers had been attacked by hijacked airplanes piloted by Islamic extremists on September 11, 2001.
On August 16, 2010, Gwen Ifill of the PBS Newshour tried to moderate a discussion between Hameeduddin and Rick Lazio, a former member of the US Congress and candidate for Governor of New York, over the "Ground Zero Mosque".
[14] Hameeduddin's comment was originally broadcast on the Seven Network as a response to anti-Muslim retaliations: We're Muslim Americans, we're neighbors, we're politicians, we're doctors, we're lawyers.
[14]Tina Susman, reporting in the Los Angeles Times also chose to quote Hameeduddin in its coverage of the Ground Zero Mosque controversy.
In "Uncle Swamy" Vijay Prashad described the struggles individuals of South Asian ethnic heritage have engaged in to be accepted more fully into the mainstream of American life.
[18] He praised Teaneck city council for passing a "far-sighted anti-bias resolution" under Hameeduddin's leadership.
[19] Hameeduddin told Levon Putney that in 2008 five deputy fire chiefs retired, telling the city they were each owed a substantial payout for unused sick-pay.
In 2011 New Jersey Governor Chris Christie called for an end to local officials keeping track of their own sick pay.
In March 2013 Hameedudin was chosen to appear in a panel at the Wilson Center, entitled "American Muslim Local Officials: Challenges and Opportunities".