Zohran Mamdani’s swift rise in New York City’s mayoral race has made him into a national symbol – both as a point of pride among many Muslim Americans and a political foil for the right, said an AP report. His campaign has been met by a surge in anti-Muslim language directed at the Democratic nominee, who would become the city’s first Muslim mayor if elected in November.
Republican Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee called him “little Muhammad” and urged deportation. On social media, GOP Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina referenced 9/11 alongside a photo of Mamdani dressed in a kurta, a loose collarless shirt common in South Asia. Far-right activist Laura Loomer claimed without evidence that “NYC is about to see 9/11 2.0.”
On many levels, Mamdani’s run is a significant moment for the country and New York City, which endured 9/11 and the rise in Islamophobia that followed.
“He really does hold so much symbolism,” said Youssef Chouhoud, a political scientist at Christopher Newport University. The campaign is a reminder of anti-Muslim discrimination, he said, but also of Muslim Americans asserting their right “to lead this society moving forward.”
As per the AP report, politicians from both major parties have attacked Mamdani’s progressive politics and criticism of Israel. Conservatives have leaned more heavily into religious attacks and anti-immigrant sentiments.
President Donald Trump singled him out for censure and falsely questioned his U.S. citizenship, echoing “birther” rhetoric he once aimed at former President Barack Obama.
At the National Conservatism Conference, multiple speakers used Mamdani’s name and religion as attack lines, with former Trump adviser Steve Bannon calling the democratic socialist a “Marxist and a jihadist.”
The rhetoric is all too familiar for many Muslim Americans, including Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, who faced slurs and death threats as the first Muslim woman to run for Congress in New Jersey in 2020.
“We’re at a crossroads,” she said via email. “On one hand, Muslims are achieving unprecedented visibility and influence in political spaces. On the other, our dehumanisation has never been so normalised and widespread.”
Before his assassination last month, conservative activist Charlie Kirk wrote on social media that, “America’s largest city was attacked by radical Islam 24 years ago, and now a similar form of that pernicious force is poised to capture city hall.” On his show, Kirk called Mamdani a “Mohammedan,” an antiquated term for Muslim, and warned about “Anglo centers” like New York coming “under Mohammedan rule.”
On his part, Mamdani condemned Kirk’s killing while decrying America’s plague of political violence.
In September, a Texas man was charged with making death threats against Mamdani, including calling him a terrorist and saying “Muslims don’t belong here,” prosecutors said.
Mamdani’s campaign responded by saying these types of threats “reflect a broader climate of hate that has no place in our city.” “We cannot and will not be intimidated by racism, Islamophobia and hate,” the statement read.
Despite the controversies, many American Muslims are upbeat about a possible Mamdani victory.
“The abiding emotion … is a really deep sense of hope,” said Chouhoud, whose Brooklyn accent speaks to his New York roots.
Shahana Hanif, a Mamdani ally and the first Muslim woman elected to the New York City Council, is optimistic. She said Islamophobia is being used as a fear tactic “and it’s just not working.”
Hanan Thabet, a born-and-raised New Yorker and a Mamdani supporter, said his campaign has energised her family after two years of grief over the killing and starvation of Palestinians in Gaza.
So much so that her children – ages 10 and 8 – helped her phone bank for him. “They’re super excited to see this young energetic brown man, Muslim man, you know, potentially be our next mayor.”
