New York Mayor-elect Endorses Controversial Candidate

New York’s Mayor-elect Zoharan Mamdani has thrown his support behind a candidate for state representative who previously referred to 9/11 as a “terrorist attack by a few people.” This endorsement of longtime Palestinian-American activist Abar Khawas came to light during a recent Democratic Socialists of America meeting in Manhattan, as shared by members of the mayor-elect’s transition team.

Sam McCann, Mamdani’s chief political advisor, expressed his respect for everyone’s efforts in this campaign and publicly stated his intention to back whatever Khawas pursues.

Efforts to reach out to both Mamdani and Khawas for further comments have been made.

Background on Khawas

Khawas has been an organizer for New York City’s Arab and Muslim communities since 2010, and she is reportedly working to secure support from the Democratic Socialists of America to run for a seat in Queens’ 34th Congressional District.

This district is currently represented by state Rep. Jessica Gonzalez Rojas, who is also in the race against Queens state Sen. Jessica Ramos.

Interestingly, Khawas has ties to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an organization that has faced allegations of connections to Hamas. Recently, Texas Governor Greg Abbott labeled CAIR as a foreign terrorist organization.

In a resurfaced clip shared on social media, Khawas stated, “The system of capitalism, racism, white supremacy… and Islamophobia have all been used to colonize land and take resources from other peoples. So this is a long trajectory, and we just saw the continuation of that manifest on 9/11.”

She further remarked, “The idea that we have to apologize for terrorist attacks committed by a few people, but there is no apology or reparation for genocide or slavery, to me is reprehensible.” This controversial viewpoint has sparked considerable debate, given the broader implications and emotions tied to such statements.