Fakhruddin Ahmed

I had not heard of Zohran Mamdani until about a year ago, when the unknown New York State Assemblyman decided to run for the Mayor of New York City as a Democratic Socialist.  But, I have been a fan of his film director mother, Orissa-born Harvard graduate Mira Nair for 36 years after watching her Oscar-nominated debut film “Salaam Bombay” (1988).  The sub-plot of Nair’s next hit, semi-autobiographical “Mississippi Masala” (1991), shot in Uganda and the US.  Nair is a Hindu, and her husband, a Harvard Ph.D. and Professor at Columbia University, Mumbai-born Mahmood Mamdani, is a Muslim.  They met while Nair was doing research for “Mississippi Masala” in Nairobi, Kenya, married in Kampala, Uganda in 1991, and their only son, Zohran, was born the same year. The boy was raised a Muslim.

Zohran Mamdani had 1% support after he announced his mayoral candidacy last year. Then the 33-year-old campaigned unconventionally, mostly through social media.  As New York City is one of the most expensive in the world, the centerpiece of Mamdani’s campaign was affordability.  He promised to build affordable housing, freeze the rent, universal child care for all, free city buses, and city-run groceries.  One online video he posted showed him jumping into the freezing water off New York City wearing a suit and saying: “I am freezing – the rent!”  “Socialist” Mamdani ignited a revolution of excitement, especially among the young.

Mamdani’s opponents were old guards in their late 60s, and 70s, guarding the old ways of doing things: Democrats, current Mayor 65-year-old Eric Adams, indicted for corruption in 2024, forgiven by Trump; and former Governor of the state of New York, 67-year-old Andrew Cuomo, who resigned in 2021following numerous sexual misconduct allegations; and Republican Curtis Sliwa, the co-founder of the Guardian Angels, who is 71.

In one of the televised debates, candidates were asked which country they would visit first after winning the mayoral race.  Almost everyone expressed their fealty to, and answered the loaded question by expressing their love for Israel.  Mamdani was the exception.  He said, “I am going to stay right here and work for the residents of New York City.”  Every New York City Mayor since 1948 has visited Israel.  Although Mamdani had said that he would devote all his energy to fight antisemitism, and promote the interests of Jewish New Yorkers, he also blamed the current Israeli government for committing genocide in Gaza, and promised to honour ICC’s warrant for the arrest of war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu, if he came to New York City.  Mamdani also supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

In a city that has the highest Jewish population after Tel Aviv, this did not go down well.  Jewish and non-Jewish supporters of Israel rallied behind Andrew Cuomo.  When Mamdani beat Cuomo by 13 points in the June 2025 Democratic primary, the Democratic establishment was shocked, but did not give up.  They persuaded Andrew Cuomo to challenge Mamdani as an independent in the 4 November general election.  Jewish billionaires like former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and hedge fund manager Bill Ackman and other supporters of Israel spent over 66 million supporting Cuomo’s candidacy. Mamdani relied primarily on public funding.  President Trump falsely called Mamdani a “communist.  He also said: “Any Jewish person that votes for Zohran Mamdani, a proven and self-professed Jew-hater is a stupid person.” (Mamdani is not a “Jew-hater”)

In the end, it did not work for two reasons.  Cuomo’s same old crime and punishment rhetoric - more police for less crime – did not resonate with the voters.  Mamdani’s promise to make New York City affordable did.  Second, a generational and demographic shift is reshaping New York city’s political landscape. Whites now constitute only 31% of the city’s population; Hispanics are 29%, Blacks are 23% and South Asians are 15%.  Mamdani campaigned heavily among non-white minority, speaking Spanish and Arabic in some of his ads. Receiving over 50% of the popular vote on 4 November, Mamdani won majorities among all the ethnic groups except the whites (45%) and Jews (31%).  Majority of Jews under 45 also voted for Mamdani, complicating the messaging for Israel-supporters.

Instead of hiding his Muslim identity; Mamdani embraced it.  He held press conferences from various New York City mosques after praying Jumma on Fridays.  He would sprinkle Arabic words like “Habibi” (friend) and “Insha Allah” (God willing) during his speeches. His 28-year-old wife Rama Duwaji is a Syrian-American.  Out of New York City’s 8 million people, nearly 1 million (12%) are Muslim.  They too propelled him to victory.  Mamdani beat Cuomo a second time by nearly 10 points on 4 November 2025, thus ending New York’s Cuomo dynasty.

Now comes the hard part for Mamdani: governing.  The establishment of his own Democratic Party are against him, and the Republicans and the pro-Israel lobby are coming down on him like a ton of bricks. Senate Minority Leader, Democrat of New York City Chuck Schumer, who is Jewish, never endorsed Mamdani, and refused to say if he had voted for him. 

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, also of New York City, refused to endorse Mamdani until the last minute.  His tepid “endorsement” sounded more like an endorsement of Israel than Mamdani.  Both Schumer and Jeffries receive most of their campaign financing from the pro-Israeli lobby, The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).  Popular radio host Charlamagne Tha God ridiculed Hakeem Jeffries as “AIPAC Shakur,” using the name of the late rapper Tupac Shakur for rhyming.

Nearly 99% of the Republican legislators and 70% of the Democratic legislators receive most of their campaign contributions from AIPAC and other pro-Israeli lobbies. According to the Republican Congressman Tom Massie of Kentucky, who refuses to accept AIPAC money, each recipient of AIPAC money is assigned an agent whose task is to make sure that the Congressman’s actions are Israel-friendly.  Indeed, only those Republicans criticise Israel, some accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza – former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Representatives from Georgia Marjorie Taylor Greene (MTG), Tom Massie from Kentucky, and even Steve Bannon – who do not accept AIPAC money.  They believe that Israel is abusing America by making America fight Israel’s enemies, Iraq and Iran, and making the whole world hate America by using American arms to commit genocide in Gaza.

Pro-Israel extremists immediately labelled Mamdani as “antisemite.”  In his victory speech Mamdani said: “And we will build a City Hall that stands steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers and does not waver in the fight against the scourge of antisemitism.”  Does not sound like an “antisemite!" Actually, accusations of antisemitism have little to do with the Jews, but everything to do with the criticism of Israel.  While researching antisemitism on campus, “The Guardian” found that those labelled as antisemites do not hate Jews, but are critical of Israel. Tucker Carlson was called an antisemite for having white supremacist Nick Fuentes on his show.  President Trump had dinner with Fuentes at the White house, but Trump is not called an antisemite because he supports Israel.  Pro-Israel extremist Ben Shapiro said this about antisemite Ann Coulter in 2010: “She supports Israel, so I am not going to lose sleep over it.”

Right wingers were merciless on Mamdani. Pro-Israel New York Post’s front-page cover said: “On your Marx, get set, Zo!” with Mamdani hoisting a red hammer and sickle with red hands.  Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) thuggish head, Greenblatt, launched a “Mamdani Monitor,” to monitor policies, appointments and actions they consider harmful to Jewish Community (read Israel).  Over 31% of Jewish New Yorkers had voted for Mamdani.  Who authorised Greenblat to be the guardian of the New York City’s Jews?  President Obama’s senior advisor, David Axelrod, who is Jewish and supports Mamdani, was repulsed: “I found their (ADL’s) response to Mamdani’s election shockingly gratuitous, inflammatory and deeply irresponsible.”

Former Fox News host Megyn Kelly was the most scathing.  She blamed legal immigration for Mamdani’s victory.  I did not hear such criticism of legal immigration when immigrant actor Arnold Schwarznegger was elected the Governor of California in 2003.  Oh, I get it!  He was not a Muslim!  Kelly atrociously blew the racist dog whistle by saying Muslims should not be allowed to hold office in the West because Islam is not compatible with the West, and received no condemnation.

Voters of Virginia disagreed with Kelly because they elected a Muslim, Hyderabad-born Ghazala Firdous Hashmi as the state’s Lieutenant Governor.  American voters also continue to elect Muslims like Palestinian American Rashida Tlaib, Hijab-wearing Somali American Ilhan Omar, and African American Andre Carson to the US Congress.  Former Muslim Congressman Keith Ellison, now the Attorney General of Minnesota, will probably be elected Governor of Minnesota.  Across the pond, the British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is Muslim, as is the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.  Much to Kelly’s angst, come January 2026, the Mayors of the West’s two biggest cities, New York City and London, will be Muslim. The good news for Mamdani is that none of his detractors had voted for him.  His actual voters continue to love him, and share his mother Mira Nair’s election night euphoria when she tweeted: “Zohran you beauty!”

______________________________________

The writer is a Rhodes Scholar currently living in Princeton, New Jersey, USA. He can be reached at [email protected]