Zohran Mamdani has shared a strong message about Muslim identity in New York City’s 2025 mayoral race. In a video message posted on X on 25 October, he said that for more than one million Muslim New Yorkers, dignity remains conditional and acceptance still comes with pressure to mute their identity. “The dream of every Muslim is simply to be treated the same as any other New Yorker,” he declared. “And yet, for too long, we have been told to ask for less than that, and endure hatred and bigotry in the shadows. No more.”
Mamdani puts Muslim identity on the forefront
Mamdani anchored his appeal in lived experience, including the story of his aunt who stopped taking the subway after 9/11 because she feared being targeted for wearing her hijab. He said Muslims were taught to remain quiet and grateful for whatever limited space they were allowed, even as they faced suspicion and humiliation.He revealed that when he first entered politics, a well-meaning community elder advised him not to mention his faith. The warning had been shaped by decades of discrimination. In his latest speech, Mamdani rejected that advice entirely, stating that he would no longer accept a politics of hiding.Earlier speaking to a crowd of Muslim New Yorkers outside a Bronx mosque on 24 October, he recounts how his aunt avoided riding the subway after the 11 September 2001 attacks because she felt unsafe wearing her hijab.His comments on Islamophobia drew criticism from several political figures and commentators, including the United States Vice President JD Vance. He wrote, “According to Zohran, the real victim of 9/11 was his Auntie.” Critics argued that his framing risked shifting focus away from the thousands killed in the 9/11 attacks. Mamdani, a state assemblymember and now Democratic nominee for mayor, said he had initially tried to run a universal campaign focused on everyday New Yorkers. But after repeated Islamophobic attacks, including claims that he supported extremism, he said he could no longer pretend that identity is not already central to the race.
