It’s quite surprising to think that nearly a quarter-century after 9/11, New York City might be about to elect a Ugandan-born Islamist mayor. Last week, he was campaigning alongside someone linked to the first World Trade Center attack, which tragically took the lives of six New Yorkers.
With only three weeks left before the election, polling indicates that Zoran Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, is the clear favorite to become the city’s first Muslim mayor. Not just any Muslim, though; he’s often described as a bold Islamic Marxist who seems to have emerged from a similar political background as Barack Obama.
Mamdani has been quite audacious, openly sharing on social media his visit to extremist Imam Shirazi Wahhaj’s mosque in Bedford-Stuyvesant, despite Wahhaj’s connections to terrorism and his vocal homophobia.
“He’s been a cornerstone of the Bed-Stuy community for almost fifty years,” Mamdani commented on X, even sharing a photo of himself with the imam.
It’s noteworthy that Wahhaj wants to implement Sharia law in America, and Mamdani considers him “one of the leading Islamic voices in this country.”
For veterans like Mark Lucas, 43, who stepped up to defend the country post-9/11, Mamdani’s rise is troubling yet motivational.
Iowa veterinarian response
“There’s just a lot going on emotionally,” shares the father of three. “This really affects veterans nationwide.”
“I’m just a guy from a small Iowa town. I didn’t think this could happen.” After the recent debates, he noticed Mamdani’s numbers rising, with some Black New Yorkers expressing disillusionment. “I can’t stand that mindset. You can’t just give up on this city, which represents the whole country,” he continues.
Lucas, who was merely 19 during the September 11 attacks, recalls walking into his office that morning and seeing the Twin Towers engulfed in flames.
“That moment changed everything for me,” he reflects.
Growing up in a military family in Wilton, Iowa, Lucas felt compelled to join George W. Bush’s “war on terror” and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2003.
“I wanted to avenge those lives lost… to confront those responsible for such a horrific attack,” he states.
He didn’t even particularly care for New York City before, but after 9/11, he felt an undeniable connection—“we were all New Yorkers,” he says.
Now, as the founder of Veterans Action, he aims to rally others to confront what he sees as an Islamist threat linked to Mamdani.
Grassroots groups supporting veterans were instrumental in the certification of his friend, Secretary of the Army Pete Hegseth.
“My experiences in combat showed me just how incompatible some of these ideologies are with American principles,” Lucas explains. “I truly believe that once more people learn about Mamdani’s associations with extremist figures, it could wake up the city.”
In stark contrast to Lucas, Mamdani, who moved to New York from Uganda at age seven and only became a citizen at 27, seems more focused on how 9/11 impacted him personally.
“Fantasy”
A video from 2019 shows Mamdani framing himself as a victim of that tragic day, emphasizing a teacher’s warning to him and his classmates about potential bullying for being Muslim.
“There’s still this illusion, partially thanks to colonial history, that we all belong in New York… but reminders of not fully belonging do come,” he reflects.
His father, Mahmoud, a left-leaning professor at Columbia University, reacted to 9/11 by authoring a book that placed blame on the U.S. and highlighted the rise of Islamophobia.
Mamdani’s political career seems heavily influenced by his Muslim identity.
Trump has labeled him “Comy Mamdani,” and he advocates for policies like wealth redistribution, taxing the wealthy who remain, closing prisons, replacing police with social workers, offering free transportation, subsidizing groceries, and reducing rent for tenants.
His motto revolves around “affordability,” intertwined with Islamic principles, and he seems eager to mobilize the city’s significant Muslim community—which is estimated at around 750,000 to 1 million residents, making up roughly 9% of the population—to vote.
Reportedly, he was inspired to run for mayor last year in a Yemeni coffee shop in Astoria, which has become a sort of informal base for his campaign.
He recognized a chance to form a coalition among various groups, including Muslims, South Asians, young renters, and progressives.
Where there is a will
Support for Palestinians in the ongoing Gaza conflict seems to resonate strongly with his base.
This explains his controversial commitment to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he visit New York again.
It’s no surprise he has resisted Hamas’s calls for ceasefire.
He mentioned feeling closest to the city while visiting mosques during Ramadan this past March.
During the last mayoral debate, Mamdani challenged Governor Cuomo for his lack of engagement with the Muslim community.
“It took Andrew Cuomo, who faced challenges from Muslim candidates in the Democratic primary, until now to visit a mosque,” he said. “He’s been around for so long and couldn’t mention a single mosque during his last debate.”
So what?
Instead of taking a step back, Cuomo defended himself by claiming he’s a strong supporter of the “Muslim community.”
Mamdani represents a significant concern, given his support for extremist elements and his criticisms of the NYPD, which he has labeled “racist and anti-gay,” promoting defunding them in 2020.
We cannot afford to let our cities deteriorate.
While the situation appears grim for figures like Cuomo and the resilient Republican Curtis Sliwa, as Lucas mentions, giving up on New York isn’t an option.
Where there’s time, there’s hope.
