How Mamdani’s New York Victory Exposed Islamophobia in U.S. Politics (image-instagram/zohrankmamdani)
Muslim Americans in New York and across the United States are seeing a spike in Islamophobic rhetoric in response to Mamdani’s victory. Many advocates say that the attack on the mayoral candidate’s Muslim identity shows the Islamophobia that remains tolerated in US politics.
When anonymous internet users and online anti-Muslim figures attacked Mamdani and his identity a lot, what surprised all was the flood of politicians, including some in the orbit of President Donald Trump, joining in the spread of hatred.
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Congressman Randy Fine, without any evidence, went on to state that Mamdani would install a “caliphate” in New York, while Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene posted a cartoon of the Statue of Liberty in a burqa on X.
And that wasn’t all; former national security adviser Michael Flynn attacked the mayoral candidate, arguing that Islam is a political ideology and “not a religion.”
Others, like conservative activist Charlie Kirk, invoked the 9/11 attacks and called Mamdani a “Muslim Maoist,” while right-wing commentator Angie Wong told CNN that people in New York are “concerned about their safety, living here with a Muslim mayor.”
Far-right activist Laura Loomer, a close ally of Donald Trump, falsely called the mayoral candidate a “jihadist Muslim” and claimed, without evidence, that he is connected to Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Moreover, Republican Representative Andy Ogles even sent a letter to the Department of Justice calling for Mamdani’s citizenship to be revoked and for him to be deported. As the scathing attack continued, on Sunday, Congressman Brandon Gill posted a video of Mamdani eating biryani with his hand and called on him “to go back to the Third World,” saying that “civilized people” in the US “don’t eat like this.”
While some Democrats have spoken out against the campaign targeting Mamdani, many prominent party leaders, especially in New York, have remained silent and haven’t issued official statements.
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“We should all be disgusted by the flood of anti-Muslim remarks spewed in the aftermath of Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the NYC mayoral primary – some blatant, others latent,” US Senator Chris Van Hollen said in a statement.
“Shame on the members of Congress who have engaged in such bigotry and anyone who doesn’t challenge it,” Senator added.
Mamdani, who is of South Asian descent, meanwhile, focused on his campaign on making New York affordable. Though his support for Palestinian rights had taken centre stage in the criticism against him, since the election, the attacks have now shifted to his Muslim identity.
