Anti-Muslim posts targeting New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani have surged this week, including death threats and comments comparing his candidacy to the september 11, 2001 attacks. CAIR Action, an arm of the Council on American Islamic Relations advocacy group, said at least 127 violent and hate-related reports were made about Mamdani after voting ended.
CAIR Action cited nearly 6,200 online posts that referenced some form of Islamophobia. Mamdani, a self-declared democratic socialist and 33-year-old legislator, declared victory in the primary on tuesday after former New York governor Andrew Cuomo conceded defeat.
Mamdani can become New York's first Muslim mayor
Born in uganda to indian parents, Mamdani will be the city's first Muslim and indian American mayor if he wins the general election in November. CAIR Action's executive director Basim Elkarra said, "We call on public officials of every party, including himself, to strongly condemn Islamophobia."
According to the Dawn report, advocates have said that people close to President donald trump, including one of his sons, are involved in spreading anti-Muslim rhetoric. The president's son donald trump Jr. wrote on X on Wednesday, "New York City has fallen" while sharing a post saying that New Yorkers had "voted" for 9/11.
Republican US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene posted an AI-generated photo of the Statue of Liberty wrapped in a burqa. New York City police said earlier this month that their hate crimes unit was investigating anti-Muslim threats against Mamdani.
Manjusha Kulkarni, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate, which documents hate against Asian Americans, and CAIR, said the attacks against Mamdani are similar to those endured by other South Asian and Muslim political figures, including former Vice President Kamala harris and Representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib.
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