New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks at the Islamic Cultural Center of the Bronx mosque, New York, October 24, 2025. TED SHAFFREY / AP
Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York mayor, pledged on Friday, October 24, to further embrace his Muslim identity in response to growing attacks by former Governor Andrew Cuomo and his surrogates that he characterized as "racist and baseless."
Encircled by faith leaders outside a Bronx mosque, Mamdani spoke in emotional terms about the "indignities" long faced by the city's Muslim population, choking back tears as he described his aunt's decision not to ride the subway after the September 11 attacks because she didn't feel safe being seen in a religious head covering. He recounted how, when he first entered politics, an uncle gently suggested he keep his faith to himself.
"These are lessons that so many Muslim New Yorkers have been taught," Mamdani said. "And over these last few days, these lessons have become the closing messages of Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliwa and Eric Adams."
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