Documentary Looks at Heroism of a US Muslim on 9/11

September 11, 2001 –  say that date and it brings back memories for people of exactly where they were when they heard the news of hijacked planes crashing into the Twin Towers in New York City, into the Pentagon and into a remote field in Pennsylvania. There was fear, there was confusion and there was sadness.

The traumatic live footage and images of the attack carried out by 19 members of al-Qaeda, an extremist Islamic group, remain powerful and impactful 22 years later. It is not an overstatement to say that day changed everything. For 2,974 people, it was their last day.

And, just as it took months to recover items from the rubble of the Twin Towers and other crash sites, it has taken years to uncover memorable stories of heroism.

One of those stories is the focus of a documentary by Nick Eyde, Kraig Westfall and Mohammad Khalil. The film tells the story of Salman Hamdani, a U.S. Muslim hero who lost his life saving others on 9/11.

WKAR is hosting a screening of the film, “American Jedi: The Salman Hamdani Story” on Thursday (Sept. 14) at 6:30 p.m. at the WKAR Studios in the Communication Arts & Sciences Building on the campus of Michigan State University (MSU). The event is free and open to the public. Registration is not required but recommended. A Q&A with the filmmakers follows the screening.

Eyde and Khalil spoke via phone with ELi about their local roots, the life lessons they learned while making this documentary and why they chose to focus on Salman Hamdani.

Khalil, a professor of Religious Studies, adjunct professor of Law, and director of the Muslim Studies Program at MSU, has authored multiple books on Islam and Muslims. Eyde, a former professional football player in the Italian Football League, is now a real estate developer based in Toledo, Ohio.

The two met in sixth grade at MacDonald Middle School, attended school together at East Lansing High School and kept in contact throughout college. They lost touch for a few years but reconnected and set out to work on a project focused on interfaith relations. After exploring many different ideas, the story of Salman stuck out.

The documentary concept dates back to around 2014 when Khalil’s wife proposed the idea of further exploring Muslim victims of 9/11. He told Eyde about the idea and the two set out to make a movie.

Khalil spoke about why Salman’s story was so touching to him and Eyde, who both have Arab-American roots.

“We saw that there were quite a few very interesting stories to tell, but one story really stood out. That was the story of Salman Hamdani,” Khalil said. “The more we heard his story, the more we felt this was a really compelling story. This was a person who went out of his way to try to help people on 9/11. His work was four blocks away, but he went out of his way to help people, and he lost his life.

“Initially there was suspicion that maybe he was a terrorist because he was missing,” Khalil said. “He had been a police cadet and EMT, was pre-med and had a chemistry background. When they later found his body, they realized he was just there to help.”

In 2016, Khalil flew to NYC to film interviews with Salman’s instructors, friends and family, and heard very compelling stories about Salman’s character. In 2018, Salman’s mother was even invited by Khalil to give a presentation at MSU.

The film itself was a long time in the making, Khalil said. Ultimately, the duo brought Kraig Westfall to the team as producer and editor. He helped guide them through the process of filmmaking.

After gathering more interviews from U.S. Muslims, including some who were at the Twin Towers that day, the story began to further take shape. In 2021, the three flew back to NYC and showed an early cut of the movie to Salman’s family and a former professor. After they gave their approval, the film was finalized and became available and distributed by Alexander Street.

Khalil said it took a long time to get the specific footage they wanted for the film.

“We wanted to get firsthand accounts of the attacks, from a perspective we don’t often hear – U.S. Muslims who were there,” he said. “One of the things that many U.S. Muslims said about 9/11 is that they felt like they were attacked twice. There was the attack itself and then the suspicion that followed the attack. This film does a good job of capturing that tension, that difficult situation, but also showing a lot of positive attributes.”

Although the initial event took place 22 years ago, the aftermath of 9/11 is still felt by people all over the world. Eyde said the fascination with hearing stories of survivors and heroes who sacrificed their lives lives on today.

“People were sacrificing themselves to save other people, whether it’s the first responders that were firefighters or police,” he said. “These stories about what they did are something special that needs to be remembered. And those stories need to be told.”

Eyde said while many of us hope we’d do the same to save lives in a similar situation, it’s unclear how we would actually react. For Khalil, just seeing the attacks on TV was traumatic enough.

“The attacks were terrifying as an observer hundreds of miles away,” Khalil said. “I remember being shocked by what I was watching on TV in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the time. To see people who are right there risk their lives to help others is incredibly moving. I can’t imagine being there and doing what they did.”

The film helps shine a light on a community of people who felt the effects of the terrorist attack for many years to come. The movie showcases Salman’s father who was in disbelief that his son would not be returning to their Brooklyn home. The message of the 38-minute movie continues to resonate with viewers.

Eyde said that although interesting, Salman’s story isn’t entirely unique in the United States and many can relate.

“His family came here for the American dream,” Eyde said. ”And that was part of their experience growing up and starting a business in Brooklyn. In a lot of ways, he was just the ‘all-American kid.’ He was a huge fan of ‘Star Wars,’ which is where the Jedi name comes from.”

Even though “American Jedi: The Salman Hamdani Story” focuses on the protagonist’s life, Khalil said the real hero of the film is Salman’s mother. And it’s her outlook on life that helps inspire yet another chapter of faith and hope.

“She is someone who demonstrates perseverance, and who has been through so much,” he said. “You see at the end of the film, what she says is you have to take these tragedies, use it as fire in your belly, and do something good for society. I think that’s such a powerful response to the tragedy.”

For those attending the screening, parking is available in the Trowbridge Ramp #5  adjacent to Comm Arts and free after 6 p.m.