The political landscape was set ablaze with rampant Islamophobia in the wake of Zohran Mamdani’s ascendancy in the Democratic mayoral primary of New York City—reminiscent of the intense anti-Muslim sentiment that pervaded post-9/11 era. Concurrently, the country’s administrative domicile asserts its resolve to stave off nuclear conflict by resorting to an airstrike on a Middle-Eastern country. The Republican’s response to Mamdani’s victory, however, has ignited widespread disquiet due to the rampant Islamophobic sentiment it further incites.
Mamdani’s triumph in the Democratic mayoral primary of NYC on Tuesday has been met with resounding joy from a significant chunk of the city’s populace, given the robust challenge he posed to former governor Andrew Cuomo. Despite this, political actors and public figures belonging to the right-wing have exploited Mamdani’s Islamic roots, causing an upheaval of Islamophobic sentiment reminiscent of the infamous ‘Ground Zero Mosque’ debacle covered by Fox News a decade ago.
Prominent right-wing figure and founder of Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk, added fuel to the fire with inflammatory remarks on social media platforms. Late Tuesday night, he drew an incendiary connection between the tragic 9/11 attacks carried out by a group of Muslims two decades ago and the potential of a Muslim socialist becoming the leader of New York City—implying an unfounded, Islamophobic narrative.
In another unsettling post, Kirk called for a supposed awakening of the west, indirectly implying a conspiracy tied to Mamdani’s victory. He endorsed a post insinuating that Mamdani’s election run was the inception of an alleged master plan to enforce ‘Sharia Law’ across the United States—an Islamophobic conspiracy theory with no basis in reality.
The immediate consequences of such unfiltered Islamophobia and xenophobia were evident in further reactionary comments. Recognizing and effectively addressing this intentionally stimulated fear towards an entire religious group is a critical takeaway from these disturbing reactions and must be taken seriously.
Darker instances of this xenophobia surfaced during Mamdani’s campaign. In one incident in the early days of June, a man found himself in police custody after resorting to physical aggression towards Mamdani during a public event and biting one of his volunteer’s hand—another vehement display of Islamophobia.
Just before polling day, the New York Police Department was put on alarm due to death threats addressed to Mamdani. The abusive messages from an anonymous individual branded the candidate a ‘terrorist’ and decreed that he was ‘not welcome in New York or America.’ Showing the extreme level of hate and fear incited by Islamophobia, the anonymous attacker threatened to wire Mamdani’s vehicle to explode—an empty threat, as Mamdani didn’t own a car.
“I receive threats against my life and towards the people I care for,” Mamdani expressed emotionally in response to the threats during a press conference. He also shared how he tries to refrain from drawing attention to the threats, as he referred to a poignant observation by Toni Morrison that the true purpose of racism ultimately lies in being a destructive distraction.