NYC mayoral race tainted by Islamophobic attacks and backlash

As New York City heads towards election day to decide its new mayor, candidate Andrew Cuomo has come under intense scrutiny due to Islamophobic and racist attacks against his opponent, Zohran Mamdani, as reported by Middle East Eye and agencies on October 23rd.

Mamdani, a South Asian Muslim and self-proclaimed democratic socialist, is poised to become the city’s first Muslim mayor after winning the democratic primary in June.

Cuomo’s campaign released two controversial videos that ignited criticism. One still live on his social media, features four men calling themselves “Muslims Against Mamdani,” accusing the candidate of being “not Muslim enough.” Another, briefly posted and later deleted, used AI-generated imagery to depict “criminals” supporting Mamdani, including a man in a keffiyeh stealing from a shop and looters chanting “globalise the Intifada.”

Cuomo fueled further outrage with a remark on WABC radio, joking that Mamdani would “be cheering” if another 9/11 occurred, a comment widely condemned as Islamophobic. Mamdani responded on X, calling it “just disgusting.”

The controversy unfolds against the backdrop of a broader American climate where Islamophobia continues to shape political discourse. The videos by Cuomo’s campaign reflect a consensus of hostility towards Muslim politicians in the U.S., which is further contextualised by wider anti-Muslim rhetoric in political discourse as seen through policies such as the Muslim and African ban in Donald Trump’s first presidential term.

In this context, Cuomo’s attempt to question Mamdani’s faith mirrors a familiar tactic, using Islamophobia to delegitimize dissenting voices as well as manipulating sectarian divides for political gain. By invoking intra-Muslim differences, his campaign imports divisions from abroad into the American political sphere where Muslims have long sought unity against marginalisation.

As NYC historian Asad Dandia noted, “Cuomo’s cynical attempt to pit ‘Sunni Muslims’ against Zohran (who is Shia) is utterly despicable.”

Many view these attacks on Mamdani a stark reminder that Islamophobia continues to serve as a convenient tool in American politics at all levels.