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October 14, 2025 
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 | By Meher Ahmad Senior Staff Editor, Opinion Special Projects |
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From the moment Zohran Mamdani declared that he was running for mayor of New York City, he has faced anti-Muslim prejudice.
One might expect that from right-wing types, like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who accused him of wanting to enforce Shariah law, and Laura Loomer, who claimed on X that he was “literally supported by terrorists. NYC is about to see 9/11 2.0.”
But worse than predictable right-wing bigotry against the first Muslim candidate to run for this office has been the treatment of Mamdani in liberal institutions that claim to oppose prejudice. In their telling, he is dangerous owing to the simple fact of his faith and his criticism of Israel.
As I write in a guest essay for Opinion, Mamdani has become an avatar for many debates: the future of the Democratic Party, a referendum on the gerontocracy and whether socialist policies have a place in American politics.
But for Muslims, watching the register of Islamophobic attacks against Mamdani reveals a painful truth: After Oct. 7, 2023, supporting Palestinians — and ourselves — comes at a price.
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