What Zohran Mamdani’s Bid for Mayor Reveals About Being Muslim in America

In the fall of 2008, Colin Powell, George W. Bush’s former secretary of state, split from the Republican Party and supported Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. It has been a brutal summer of election warfare. Rumors that Obama was Muslim swirled, becoming a prominent aspect of media coverage of his campaign. A group working with his opponent, John McCain, called residents in swing states, sowed doubt about Obama’s religious background and asked them how they would vote if they knew the Democrat was backed by Hamas. McCain’s spokesperson defended the calls, but when a voter later said at a town hall that she couldn’t trust Obama, who was “an Arab,” McCain shook his head. “No, ma’am,” he said. Obama was a “good family man”. The idea that “an Arab” could not possess these qualities was venomous enough, but it was Powell who addressed the unsaid. On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” he acknowledged that Obama “is not a Muslim. He’s a Christian. He’s always been a Christian.” Nonetheless, Powell continued: What if Obama were Muslim? “Is there anything wrong with being a Muslim in this country? »
Seventeen years later, this issue has become central to the race for New York City mayor, in which Zohran Mamdani, a thirty-four-year-old democratic socialist and Muslim, has held a solid lead since winning the Democratic primary last summer. Mamdani’s candidacy faced numerous legitimate attacks, citing his inexperience and questions about how he would deliver on his promises to make the city more affordable. In recent weeks, however, many criticisms have been tinged with specifically anti-Muslim overtones. Ellie Cohanim, former deputy special envoy to combat anti-Semitism in the first Trump administration, posted a photo of the twin towers on fire on September 11, 2001 and wrote: “Never forget…Vote Andrew Cuomo and save our city”; New York Job ran headlines linking Mamdani to terrorism, such as “HAMAS WEAPONS OF DESTRUCTION.Cuomo himself, the former New York governor, who is running against Mamdani as an independent, recently made remarks about his opponent that have garnered attention. In an interview with conservative radio host Sid Rosenberg, Cuomo asked if anyone could “imagine Mamdani in the seat,” if there were another 9/11. When Rosenberg responded, “He would applaud,” Cuomo laughed and added, “That’s another issue.”
This comment echoes a similar statement made during another closely watched campaign. In November 2015, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump claimed to have seen “thousands” of Muslims in New Jersey celebrating 9/11. A month later, he called for a plan to ban Muslims from entering the country to ensure its security. After he took office in January 2017, the policy took effect and hundreds of New Yorkers descended on JFK Airport to protest. Governor Cuomo, in a show of solidarity, said: “As a New Yorker, I am Muslim. » It was a politically useful sentiment at the time.
Trump’s story was a lie, but it gave rise to long-standing suspicions about so-called dual loyalties. After 9/11, authorities arrested Muslim men across the country and detained them without charges – in some cases for years – or deported them for minor visa violations. To avoid such a fate, many Muslim families fled the United States, leaving neighbors and friends behind. The New York City Police Department created a demographic unit, whose undercover officers and informants roamed Muslim neighborhoods and hid in bookstores, mosques, and restaurants looking for terrorist threats, leaving communities fearful of continued surveillance. The program continued for years and, after being challenged in court, was eventually disbanded.



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