Mamdani Forced to Explain to MAGA How Brown People Use the Word “Aunt”
Zohran Mamdani was forced to explain what the word “auntie” means in South Asian culture.
The Democratic candidate for New York City mayor delivered a speech on Islamophobia in front of a mosque in the Bronx on Friday. The speech highlighted how Muslims in New York face discrimination and prejudice, particularly after the September 11 attacks. Mamdani spoke of a personal experience where one of his relatives feared facing prejudice in the city.
“I want to speak in memory of my aunt who stopped taking the subway after 9/11 because she didn’t feel safe in her hijab,” Mamdani saidwhile becoming emotional. “I want to speak to the Muslims who work for our city, whether they teach in our schools or march to the beat of the NYPD.”
But, rather than actually listening to her story or perhaps engaging in some soul-searching about the prejudices others face in America, right-wing media took advantage of Mamdani’s mention of her “aunt” to attempt to claim some sort of entrapment. Murdoch property New York Post And Fox News both claimed to have found Mamdani’s real aunt, who does not wear a head covering.
Tuesday morning, Mamdani had to clarify what the word “aunt” means in South Asian culture, explaining that he was talking about his father’s cousin, Zehra fuhi, who died a few years ago. An “aunt” can refer not only to the sister of a relative, but also to any elderly female member of the family, or even to friends and acquaintances.
🤡 Zohran Mamdani says his “aunt” who he said Friday was too scared to wear her hijab on the subway after 9/11 was actually his father’s cousin named “Zehra Fuhi” who he said died a few years ago. pic.twitter.com/eyPb60wetM
-NYScanner (@nyscanner) October 28, 2025
Some right-wing commentators then attempted to claim “Zehra Fuhi” is not a real person, believing fuhi to be a surname rather than a term for paternal aunt in Urdu, Hindi and Gujarati.
The whole saga is another bigoted attempt to smear Mamdani on the basis of his religion. Mamdani’s opponent, Andrew Cuomo, as well as right-wing media, have made several Islamophobic attacks in a desperate attempt to gain ground on the surging Democratic candidate. They tried to claim that he was pro-Hamas, that he wanted a global Intifada and that he was close to Imam Siraj Wahaja city imam baselessly accused of supporting the World Trade Center bombing in 1993. These efforts only demonstrated how pervasive Islamophobia is in New York and American politics, proving the points Mamdani made in his Bronx speech.
