Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Kremlin: Russia is closely monitoring reports of US nuclear weapons being deployed in the United Kingdom
Gaza's Ministry of Health: Fifteen, including four children, were killed by malnutrition and dehydration in 24 hours in the Gaza Strip
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Four, including two children, were killed by malnutrition and dehydration since dawn today in the Gaza Strip
A tripartite meeting between Iran, Russia, and China to be held today in Tehran
Yemeni Armed Forces: Our operations are ongoing and will not stop until the aggression on Gaza stops and the siege is lifted
Yemeni Armed Forces: The operation successfully achieved its goal, causing millions of Zionists to flee to shelters and halting maritime traffic
Yemeni Armed Forces: We carried out a top-tier military operation targeting Lydd Airport in the occupied Yafa region with a Palestine 2 hypersonic ballistic missile
The Public Prosecutor in the appeal letter: The deficiency does not suspend the implementation of the decision, as the Public Prosecutor's Office stated, and will not prevent Georges Abdallah from returning to Lebanon
The Public Prosecutor in the appeal letter: The decision to release Georges Abdallah does not conform to judicial precedents regarding the conditional release of a life sentence
The Paris Public Prosecutor's Office has decided to appeal the Court of Cassation's decision to release Lebanese activist George Ibrahim Abdallah.

Islamophobic attacks surge after Mamdani’s historic primary victory

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Axios
  • 29 Jun 2025 15:23
  • 5 Shares
4 Min Read

Despite facing racist attacks from high-profile critics, Zohran Mamdani’s grassroots campaign highlights a growing shift in American politics toward inclusive, multiracial coalitions.

Listen
  • x
  • Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks next to a portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. during the National Action Network's Saturday action rally at House of Justice in Harlem, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in New York. (AP)
    Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks next to a portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. during the National Action Network's Saturday action rally at the House of Justice in Harlem, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in New York (AP)

Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary has triggered a wave of Islamophobic rhetoric from political opponents, including sitting members of Congress, comments that just a decade ago would have ended a political career. Now, they circulate largely unchecked, reflecting the growing normalization of anti-Muslim sentiment in American politics.

Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist and state assemblyman, would become the city’s first Muslim mayor if elected. His win over former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was powered by a multiracial, cross-borough coalition that included progressive Jewish voters in Manhattan, liberals in Park Slope, and working-class communities in Queens.

But the aftermath of his victory has revealed how openly Islamophobic rhetoric has become part of the political mainstream. Representative Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) called for Mamdani’s citizenship to be revoked and for his deportation, despite the legal improbability of such a move. Mamdani was born in Uganda, immigrated to the US at age seven, and became a citizen in 2018. Denaturalization is an exceedingly rare legal action, typically reserved for cases of fraud.

“This is just further evidence of how the government is using Kilmar’s case to further their propaganda and prove their political point,” said Lisa Sherman Luna, executive director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, in an interview for The Washington Post.

Online hate and political hostility

Since the primary, Mamdani has been subject to violent threats and coordinated online hate campaigns. Ogles referred to him on X as “Zohran 'little muhammad' Mamdani,” calling him a “socialist, communist” who would “destroy the great City of New York.” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) posted an AI-generated image of the Statue of Liberty wearing a burqa, while Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) accused Mamdani’s candidacy of dishonoring the memory of 9/11.

Related News

Billionaires mobilize in attempt to crush Mamdani’s mayoral bid: WSJ

Mamdani secures NYC mayor nomination, Trump threatens to 'arrest him'

In an interview with MSNBC, Mamdani responded by affirming his identity: “This is an opportunity for me to introduce the fact that being Muslim is like being a member of any other faith.”

The rise in Islamophobic attacks comes amid a broader erosion of public accountability for racism. Since Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, marked by a call for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States,” such rhetoric has moved from fringe platforms into mainstream discourse.

Familiar pattern with new stakes

Muslim candidates for public office in the US have long faced suspicion and smear campaigns. Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib have endured years of harassment, and Mamdani’s treatment echoes those experiences. “We see the same Islamophobia from the same bigots anytime a Muslim runs for office. Now it’s been normalized,” Basim Elkarra of CAIR Action said.

Arab American Institute co-founder James Zogby told Axios that the political backlash is growing more explicit. “There are no repercussions anymore,” he said. “But I don’t think it’s going to fly this time.”

Despite the backlash, Mamdani’s campaign remains energized. Analysts suggest that the bigotry directed at him may backfire, further consolidating support among the city’s diverse electorate. His refusal to disavow the phrase “globalize the intifada” shortly before the primary drew criticism, including from the ADL, but Mamdani clarified that he interprets the slogan as “a desperate desire for equality” in support of Palestinian rights.

He has consistently promised to govern inclusively. “I want to be a mayor for all New Yorkers,” Mamdani said, focusing on housing affordability and economic justice as his primary campaign issues.

Mamdani’s rise marks a significant moment for Muslim political engagement in the United States. With an estimated 3 to 4 million Muslim Americans, the community’s increasing political clout is reshaping the national conversation, even as candidates like Mamdani face renewed hostility from entrenched political forces and Israeli lobbies.

Read next: Pro-Israeli billionaires fuel NYC Mayor crackdown on Columbia students

  • Zohran Mamdani
  • United States
  • New York
  • Islamophobia
  • Racism in America
  • Donald Trump

Most Read

Catherine Perez-Shakdam is a bloodthirsty genocidal Zionist and continues to work as an intelligence asset of the Zionist regime. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Ali al-Hadi Shmeiss)

Who was behind the ban on Palestine Action?

  • Opinion
  • 19 Jul 2025
An al-Quds Brigades fighter activating an explosive device before an operation, Gaza, July 17, 2025 (Military Media)

Al-Quds fighters engage undercover Israeli troops in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 17 Jul 2025
Israeli air defense system fires to intercept a missile launched from Yemen as its seen from the Occupied Territories, Wednesday, June 10, 2025 (AP)

'Israel' thrown into confusion after YAF launch Palestine-2 missile

  • Politics
  • 22 Jul 2025
George Abdallah: Europe's longest-held political prisoner to be freed

Georges Abdallah: Europe's longest-held political prisoner to be freed

  • Politics
  • 17 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
A prematurely born baby lies in an incubator at the neonatal intensive care unit of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP)
Politics

Premature babies grouped per incubator as fuel runs out in Gaza

Displaced Palestinians receive donated food at a community kitchen in Gaza City, northern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, July 22, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy heads to Gaza to push for ceasefire as talks falter

The sun sets as a convoy of ambulances and buses waits at a checkpoint in the village of Busra al-Harir, southern Syria, to enter Sweida province, Tuesday, July 22, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US to host Israeli-Syrian talks on Sweida crisis: Reports

Morgue workers place the bodies of unidentified people killed during clashes in Sweida, into plastic bags outside the National Hospital, Syria, Monday, July 21, 2025. (AP)
Politics

1,300+ killed in Sweida clashes, Israeli aggression: Syrian watchdog

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS