Traditionally at odds on a wide range of policies and political positions, America’s Democratic and Republican parties have found common ground in their hostility toward Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for the major of New York City.
Last month, Mamdani won New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo and proceeding to the general election in November. The 33-year-old rapper-turned-politician is a democratic socialist who rose to prominence for his populist and energetic campaign. Pinpointing the issues facing a majority of the city’s residents, he promised to bolster affordable housing, reduce bureaucratic red-tape, and establish government subsidized grocery stores. Despite America’s notorious aversion to any form of socialism, however, criticism of Mamdani has largely focused on his Muslim faith and South Asian ethnicity, underscoring the racism and Islamophobia that has taken root in American society—especially under the presidency of Donald Trump.
The most common plaint against Mamdani has been his alleged anti-Semitism, building off him declaring that, as mayor, he would place Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under arrest if he visited New York in light of the International Criminal Court’s warrant over his actions in Palestine. The accusations gained new life when Mamdani made clear he would not visit Israel if he were to win the mayoral election—the only candidate to say so. He has also said he believes Israel has a right to exist “as a state with equal rights,” but emphasized he is “not comfortable supporting any state that has a hierarchy of citizenship on the basis of religion or anything else.” Adding fuel to the fire, Mamdani has refused to condemn “globalize the intifada,” an anti-Zionist slogan that his critics have sought to rebrand as anti-Semitic to further support their prejudices.
It is no surprise that none of these statements suggest Mamdani is anti-Semitic. Rather, they point to a candidate who wants to focus on his constituents, as he clarified by saying he would listen to Jewish New Yorkers in their synagogues, homes, or even on the streets over flying to Israel for a tour that would have no impact on the functioning of the city. This isn’t enough for some American lawmakers, who see in Mamdani a new face of politics that risks leaving them in the dust.
One such official is Republican Andy Ogles, a U.S. Representative from Tennessee. Despite the nearly 1,000 miles separating Tennessee from New York, Ogles has taken it upon himself to wage a one-man war on Mamdani, repeatedly calling for “denaturalization,” i.e. removal of his American citizenship. He has also accused Mamdani of supporting terrorists in rap lyrics, branded him “little Muhammad” and called for his immediate deportation. He isn’t the only one to do so.
Mamdani’s candidacy has repeatedly drawn the ire of The Daily Wire, an American conservative media company. Unsurprisingly, commentators on the platform have found it easier to attack Mamdani on the basis of his faith, skin color, and even food preferences over any actual policies. One such commentator, Charlie Kirk, recently dedicated five-and-a-half minutes of his show to deriding a video in which Mamdani ate rice with his hands. In Kirk’s worldview, opting to not use utensils depicts Mamdani’s “contempt” for American culture. He also perceives eating with one’s hands as “backwards,” a belated form of validation for former Ohio governor John Kasich, who drew the ire of Americans for eating pizza with a knife and fork in 2016. Another conservative political commentator, Joey Mannarino, has further enflamed Islamophobic sentiments by describing Mamdani as a “jihadist” and “terrorist” who is “not an American.”
U.S. President Donald Trump, personally weighing in on the Mamdani debate multiple times, has supported the Republican belligerence. In a recent news conference, Trump described Mamdani as a “communist” and implied Mamdani had obtained his citizenship “illegally.” Vowing to “watch over Mamdani very carefully” if he is elected mayor, Trump has even threatened to use federal power to seize control of New York City if he deems necessary.
Unfortunately, criticism of Mamdani is not restricted to Republicans. Even among his own Democratic party, lawmakers have crawled out of the woodwork in a bid to dent his chances of winning the mayoral election. Florida Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz recently described his refusal to condemn the term ‘globalize the intifada’ as a “callous disregard for antisemitism, terrorist activity.” Similarly, Ohio Representative Greg Landsman has described as “worrying” the support for Mamdani, pointing to the strawmen of anti-Semitism as justification. In contrast to the Republicans, Democrats lack unity in their rancor. Prominent leaders such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Chuck Schumer have either praised or endorsed him. Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy has been blunter, describing the Republican demand to denaturalize Mamdani as “racist bullshit.”
Mamdani’s rivals in the mayoral election have also leapt into the fray. Eric Adams has called for Columbia University to release his opponent’s college admission application over reports he identified as ‘Asian’ and ‘African-American’ on it. It remains unclear how someone born in Uganda to South Asian parents doesn’t fit both qualifiers, but Adams’ camp alleges Mamdani was trying to use Black identity to get a leg up for his admission. Another of Mamdani’s opponents, Andrew Cuomo, has meanwhile largely focused on the alleged anti-Semitic angle, hoping to secure victory by catering to the Jewish population of New York City.
Islamophobia and America
Political observers have noted that Mamdani’s candidacy has brought to the fore levels of Islamophobia not seen since the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The unprovoked hatred of Muslims cherry-picks buzzwords such as “jihad,” misinterpreting their translation in an attempt to malign the entire community, comprising roughly 1.1% of the total American population. It also attracts conservative and liberal voices alike, as bigotry directed toward Muslims enjoys a degree of acceptability not seen in hatred directed against any other community.
The ambivalence toward Islamophobia, especially among older generations, has allowed the U.S. to justify its support for Israel even as it kills tens of thousands of Palestinians, commits war-crimes, and evades all accountability. It has similarly allowed Trump to justify his recent moves to deport American citizens by branding ethnic minorities as “others” who “do not belong.”
The primarily white rightwing has also found support for its bigotry from America’s Indian-origin population. Mamdani has made clear he would not participate in any event with Modi, citing his father’s Gujarati origins and the Indian prime minister’s role in the 2002 riots and subsequent ban—since reversed—on entry to the U.S. Emboldened by the Hindutva-led government back home, Indian-Americans see the rise of any Muslim as a direct affront. In a break from supporting a candidate of their own ethnicity, they are seeking his downfall in another example of the Islamophobia targeting Mamdani.
Politics of policy
There is no denying that Mamdani’s campaign promises represent a major break from traditional American politics. It is understandable to question how much of what he has promised is actually achievable. Rather than targeting his policies, however, his opponents have chosen to attack his faith and his ethnicity.
Fortunately for Mamdani residents of New York City appear unaffected by the national discourse seeking to malign him. Despite months of targeted attacks, he retains a 10-point lead over Cuomo for the mayoral election. Adams is trailing in a distant third. With over three months remaining until the election, however, one thing is clear: the bigoted and racist attacks on Mamdani are bound to ramp up rather than subside.