A top Democratic senator has joined the mostly right-wing chorus of Islamophobic attacks against Zohran Mamdani,
launching a shockingly racist tirade
riddled with lies against the party’s recently elected Muslim mayoral candidate for New York City.
Last week,
New Yorkers elected Mamdani
as the Democratic nominee for November’s mayoral general election,
beating out scandal-ridden former Gov. Andrew Cuomo
. Despite the
young progressive
skyrocketing in popularity, his campaign faced repeated
attacks from the right
on his identity
as a Muslim American immigrant
– attacks that only
increased after his primary win.
Repeating that rhetoric is Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat from New York who
angrily made unsubstantiated claims
about Mamdani’s beliefs during a Thursday radio appearance on WNYC’s “The Brian Lehrer Show.” The senator had responded on-air to a caller’s unfounded claims that New York’s Jewish community is facing threats as a result of Mamdani’s win.
“The caller is exactly the New York constituents that I’ve spoken to that are alarmed. They are alarmed by past public statements. They are alarmed by past positions – particularly references to global jihad,” Gillibrand said. “This is a very serious issue, because people that glorify the slaughter of Jews create fear in our communities. ‘The global intifada’ is a statement that means, ‘Destroy Israel and kill all the Jews.’”
The Arabic word “intifada” is
used to describe uprisings and rebellions,
most commonly the decades-long Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation. “Globalize the intifada” is a phrase used by some activists to express solidarity with the Palestinian liberation movement. The Arabic word “jihad” means to struggle, though over time many non-Muslims in the U.S. have come to believe the word is synonymous with religious violence.
Gillibrand’s comments likely
referred to a prior interview where Mamdani was asked
if he would denounce the phrase, “Globalize the intifada,” to which he has repeatedly answered that while he does not use the term himself, he will not use the office of the mayor to police speech in the way that President Donald Trump does.
Lehrer pushed back at least three separate times during the interview with Gillibrand, reminding the senator that Mamdani has spoken extensively about his commitment to protect all New Yorkers – including the Jewish community – and that there is no evidence of the Democrat ever having expressed support for the violence Gillibrand and the caller accuse him of.
Despite the fact-checks and admitting she does not “have all the data and information,” Gillibrand
continued to push the lie
that Mamdani endorses rhetoric that endangers Jewish New Yorkers,
without mentioning the anti-Muslim hate
rising alongside antisemitism. After facing protests and public backlash for her comments, the senator’s office
told Rolling Stone
on Friday that she “misspoke.”
“Why is Senator Gillibrand parroting divisive Republican fear-mongering about Zohran? He has pledged from day 1 to combat anti-semitism & protect Jewish New Yorkers like me,” New York City councilman Lincoln Restler
posted on X
in response to her comments.
“Voters are clamoring for a vision to make life in our city more affordable – not politicians who just try to make us scared of each other,” he continued. “I wish the Senator took the time to do her homework and get her facts straight before attacking the Democratic nominee for mayor.”
Gillibrand’s comments were followed by fellow New York Democratic Rep. Laura Gillen,
who this weekend pushed the lie
that Mamdani has called for violence against Jewish people. House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Sunday joined in elevating the false claims about Mamdani,
demanding on ABC’s “This Week”
that he clarify his position on Palestinian-related slogans.
“We should all be disgusted by the flood of anti-Muslim remarks spewed in the aftermath of Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the NYC mayoral primary – some blatant, others latent,”
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said on Sunday
. “Shame on the members of Congress who have engaged in such bigotry and anyone who doesn’t challenge it.”
Mamdani has not directly commented on the senator’s rhetoric, but was asked Sunday
by NBC’s Kristen Welker
about whether he condemns the same phrases Gillibrand accused him of supporting. The progressive made it clear that
he would not take the bait,
maintaining that the public should focus less on slogans and more on
his words and actions
supporting all people
in historically
diverse
New York City.
“That’s not language that I use. The language that I use and the language that I will continue to use to lead this city is that which speaks clearly to my intent, which is an intent grounded in a belief in universal human rights,” he told “Meet the Press.” “And ultimately, that’s what is the foundation of so much of my politics, the belief that freedom and justice and safety are things that, to have meaning, have to be applied to all people, and that includes Israelis and Palestinians as well.”
The pressure on Mamdani to denounce certain phrases or groups unrelated to him
is just the latest incident
of Muslim public
officials facing scrutiny
at a level advocates say
is much higher than non-Muslim officials.
“We know these attacks all too well. At a time of
increased violence
against elected officials, we cannot allow the attacks on Zohran Mamdani to continue. They directly contribute to the ongoing dehumanization and violence against Muslim Americans,”
four Muslim members of Congress
wrote Friday in a letter. “We unequivocally reject the normalization of anti-Muslim hate and fearmongering and call on elected leaders across our country to speak out.”
