Following his landmark victory in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary, Zohran Kwame Mamdani has become the target of a wave of Islamophobic and racist attacks, drawing sharp condemnation from prominent Muslim American members of Congress and civil rights advocates.
In a joint statement issued Saturday, Representatives Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, André Carson, and Lateefah Simon denounced the “vile” and “deeply racist” rhetoric directed at Mamdani, warning that such hate-fueled discourse must not be met with silence. “These hateful, Islamophobic, and racist tropes have become so entrenched and normalized in our politics,” the statement read, with the lawmakers citing their own experiences of bigotry since taking office.
Representatives Tlaib and Omar—who made history in 2019 as the first Muslim women elected to the U.S. House of Representatives—stressed the urgency of confronting Islamophobia, particularly amid rising threats and violence targeting elected officials. “We cannot allow the attacks on Zohran Mamdani to continue,” they urged, warning that such rhetoric fosters a culture of dehumanization and endangers Muslim Americans across the country.
U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal echoed these concerns, issuing a separate statement condemning what she described as a “barrage of racist, anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, and xenophobic attacks” in the wake of Mamdani’s win. Jayapal singled out Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Andy Ogles and Rep. Nancy Mace, for their inflammatory and discriminatory remarks.
“This hateful language will get someone killed,” Jayapal cautioned, calling on all Americans who believe in democracy, equality, and religious freedom to publicly denounce the escalating vitriol. She pointed to Ogles’ particularly egregious comments, including calling for Mamdani’s deportation and referring to him with the derogatory nickname “little Muhammad.” Ogles has also written to the Department of Justice urging an investigation into Mamdani’s citizenship status, citing his alleged political beliefs.
Rep. Nancy Mace further inflamed tensions by falsely linking Mamdani to the 9/11 terrorist attacks—an accusation that civil rights groups say exemplifies the dangerous scapegoating faced by Muslim Americans in public life.
Despite the hostility, Mamdani’s primary victory has marked a historic political shift. The 33-year-old Muslim lawmaker of South Asian descent defeated former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo with 43.5% of the vote—garnering approximately 432,000 first-choice votes in the city’s ranked-choice primary system. Cuomo trailed behind with 36.4%, or around 361,800 votes.
Mamdani, currently the Democratic nominee, is set to face Republican Curtis Sliwa—who previously lost to Eric Adams in the 2021 mayoral race—in the general election scheduled for November 4. If elected, Mamdani would become New York City’s first Muslim and Indian-origin mayor.
Civil rights organizations and fellow lawmakers have warned that the inflammatory rhetoric aimed at Mamdani not only undermines democracy but contributes to a broader climate of hate and exclusion. They continue to call on elected officials across the political spectrum to speak out unequivocally against anti-Muslim bigotry.
