NEW YORK (WCBS 880) - The government labeled Pakistani-born Mohammed Salman Hamdani a terrorist on 9/11, but his mother knew differently.

“He took the 7 train in and, most probably, he saw the towers burning and, being a first responder, he just responded to the call of duty voluntarily,” said Talat Hamdani.

WCBS 880′s Marla Diamond In Queens

Today, she awarded a scholarship in her son’s name at Queens College – his alma mater.

“This is his legacy. He gave his life. They tried to take away his dignity in death and they cannot do it,” she said.

The Salman Hamdani scholarship was awarded to pre-med student Anam Ahmed.

“It’s really an honor and I want to be selfless the way he didn’t care about the values and beliefs of the people in the towers,” she said. “I just hope that, as a doctor, I can live up to his legacy and his name.”

Hamdani, a New York City EMT, was given a hero’s burial but only after his remains were discovered at Ground Zero.