Perhaps it wasn’t halal after all.
On Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams met with around 50 Muslim supporters to mark the 1,500th birthday of Prophet Muhammad. However, some attendees seemed to believe the gathering at City Hall was simply a celebration of the annual Mawlid-un-nabi festival, and they weren’t fully aware that it also served as an endorsement event.
“I came here thinking it was for the Prophet’s birthday and to show my support for the mayor,” Imam Muhammad Mountka Sako shared in a post-event interview.
He added, “But, you know how politicians are. They have their own agenda. We weren’t here just for that.”
The press conference mainly highlighted the Prophet’s birthday. Even if the festival itself didn’t officially endorse Adams, some Muslim community leaders offered praises, and at one point someone even shouted for “four more years.”
Many participants echoed Sako’s sentiments. He mentioned he received the invitation through other Imams and WhatsApp chats, which only mentioned the Prophet’s birthday, without clarifying the political angle.
Adams’ campaign had stated, “Leaders of the Muslim community and religious leaders in New York City support the re-election of Mayor Eric Adams during the annual Mawlid-un-nabi festival at City Hall.”
Adam Azam, a co-organizer of the event, noted while his group is indeed supportive of Adams, many attendees might have seen the announcement on social media but lacked details about the campaign’s context.
“Members of the Muslim community asked Mayor Adams to celebrate and approve this anniversary,” said the campaign in a statement.
