Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani pledged Friday to further embrace his Muslim identity in response to growing attacks from former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his surrogates, which he called “racist and baseless.”
Surrounded by religious leaders outside Bronx mosque, Mamdani He spoke in emotional terms of the “insults” the city’s Muslim population has long faced, fighting back tears as he described his aunt’s decision not to ride the subway after the Sept. 11 attacks because she felt unsafe wearing her religious headscarf.
He recounted how when he first entered politics, an uncle gently advised him to keep his faith in check.
“These are lessons that many Muslim New Yorkers have learned,” Mamdani said. “Those lessons have been the closing words of Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliva and Eric Adams over the past few days.”
At a news conference late Friday, Cuomo accused Mamdani of “playing the victim” for political purposes and denied that Islamophobia was widespread in New York.
Throughout the campaign, democratic socialist Mamdani has been Criticized by Cuomo et al. He criticized the Israeli government, which he accused of committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.
But the attacks have intensified in tone in recent days, prompting accusations from some Democrats that Cuomo’s campaign was leaning into Islamophobia in the final stretch of the campaign.
Cuomo appeared on a conservative radio station on Thursday and appeared to laugh off host Sid Rosenberg’s suggestion that Mamdani would “cheer” another 9/11 attack. “That’s another question,” Cuomo responded.
Cuomo’s social media account posted a video, which was later deleted, of Mamdani eating rice with his hands and describing his supporters as criminals. A campaign spokesman said the video was posted in error.
At an event to support the former governor, Mayor Eric Adams mentioned the possibility of a terrorist attack in New York City, appearing to suggest, without explanation, that it was more likely under Mamdani’s administration.
“New York can’t be Europe. I don’t know what’s wrong with people,” Adams said, standing next to Cuomo. “You see what’s happening in other countries because of Islamic extremism.”
During a debate earlier this week, Republican candidate Sliwa falsely smeared Mamdani as a supporter of “global jihad.”
Asked about Rosenberg’s comments, Cuomo said he “didn’t take them seriously at the time.”
“I certainly thought it was an offensive comment. But it didn’t come out of my mouth,” he added.
Messages left with the Adams and Sliwa campaigns were not immediately returned.
In his speech on Friday, Mamdani said his remarks were not directed at political opponents but at fellow Muslims in New York.
“Every Muslim’s dream is to be treated the same as other New Yorkers,” he said. “However, for a long time we were told to ask for less than that and were content with whatever little we received.”
“No more,” he said.
To that end, Mamdani said he would further embrace his Muslim identity, a decision he said he consciously avoided at the start of the campaign.
“I thought that if I behaved well enough, or gritted my teeth in the face of racist, baseless attacks while returning to my central message, it would make me more than just what I believed in,” Mamdani said. “I was wrong. No amount of redirection will be enough.”
He continued: “I’m not going to change who I am, the way I eat, or what I’m proud to call my beliefs. But one thing I will change. I will no longer find myself in the shadows. I will find myself in the light.”
Mamdani won the primary in stunning fashion, but he faced skepticism from some in the Democratic establishment, especially his criticize Israeli. Mamdani received the endorsement of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Friday.
Cuomo told reporters that Mamdani’s criticism of Israel has deterred Jews from leaving their homes.
He also dismissed Mamdani’s assertion that Muslim New Yorkers feel uncomfortable in their own city.
“Don’t tell me New Yorkers are Islamophobic. They’re not,” Cuomo said.
“What he’s doing is the oldest, dirtiest political trick in the book: dividing people,” Cuomo said.