Mamdani Condemns ‘White Supremacy’ Protest But Not Radical Islam After ISIS-Linked Bomb Attack
New York City’s first Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani, criticized an anti-Muslim protest outside Gracie Mansion, but did not mention the suspects or their alleged ties to ISIS in his first statement on the attack.
An anti-Islam demonstration led by Jake Lang, who describe himself as a “political prisoner of January 6,” drew counterprotesters to Gracie Mansion. During the demonstration, the authorities said at least one device has been turned on. Two suspects, identified by authorities as Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, were arrested at the scene in connection with the incident. Police revealed it was an improvised explosive device consisting of a sports drink bottle filled with a volatile explosive material known as TATP, placed in a glass jar and surrounded by nuts and bolts.
THE New York Post reported According to police sources, Balat used the Arabic expression “Allahu Akbar” after his interrogation with the police. In a brief appearance before reporters, he made the one-finger gesture associated with ISIS.
Both Balat and Kayumi come from legal immigrant families who later became American citizens. Balat’s parents are Turkish migrants who obtained citizenship in 2017, while Kayumi’s parents are legal Afghan migrants who became U.S. citizens between 2004 and 2009.
Mamdani first address Sunday’s incident: “
Yesterday, white supremacist Jake Lang staged a protest outside Gracie Mansion rooted in bigotry and racism. Such hatred has no place in New York. It is an affront to the values of our city and the unity that defines who we are.
What followed was even more disturbing. Violence during a demonstration is never acceptable. The attempt to use an explosive device and harm others is not only criminal, but reprehensible and contrary to who we are.
I want to thank the brave men and women of the New York Police Department who acted quickly to keep New Yorkers safe. Our officers ran into danger without hesitation, once again demonstrating the courage and dedication it takes to protect this city every day.
My administration is closely monitoring the situation and I remain in close contact with our police commissioner.
The next day, Mamdani issued another statement:
Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi were accused of committing a heinous act of terrorism and proclaiming their allegiance to ISIS.
They should be held fully accountable for their actions.
We will continue to keep New Yorkers safe. We will not tolerate terrorism or violence in our city.
Mamdani’s lack of condemnation of radical Islam come while his mayoral victory in November drew celebrations from Muslim advocacy groups and political figures. Pakistani-born lawyer and commentator Qasim Rashid celebrated the result by declaring that “America’s mayor is a Muslim American immigrant.” The Council on American-Islamic Relations also said Mamdani’s victory represented a “historic turning point for American Muslim political engagement” and called the outcome a “historic rebuke of both Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism in politics.”
In recent weeks, Mamdani defended his wife, Syrian-American artist Rama Duwaji, after reports surfaced that she had liked social media posts celebrating the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. According to Jewish Insider, the posts included still images of the attack broadcast live by participants, showing a bulldozer used to breach the barrier separating Israel from Gaza and attackers aboard a captured Israeli military vehicle, as well as slogans such as ” Breaking down the walls of apartheid and military occupation”, “Resisting apartheid since 1948” and “Systemic change for collective liberation”.
The attack killed around 1,200 Israelis and foreign workers and involved kidnappings and reports of sexual violence against victims. Asked about the report, Mamdani said, “My wife is the love of my life and she is also a private person who has not held any official position in my campaign or at City Hall.”
Last month, Mamdani invoked The Islamic concept of hijrah while announcing a shrine-related decree at its first interfaith breakfast at the New York Public Library. During the event, he accused Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents of “visiting[ing] terror on our neighbors” and said that ICE “will not be able to enter New York City property without a court warrant,” citing schools, shelters and hospitals. Mamdani then said, “I view my own faith, Islam, as a religion built on a narrative of migration,” adding that “the story of the hijrah reminds us that the Prophet Muhammad was also a foreigner, who fled Mecca and was welcomed in Medina.” He also cited the surah An-Nahl 16:42 and said, “If faith provides us with the moral compass to stand with the stranger, the government can provide the resources.”
