What Zohran Mamdani’s historic win says about being Muslim in Donald Trump’s America

ZOHRAN Mamdani, the 34-year-old immigrant’s son who declared himself a democratic socialist, is poised to be New York City’s first-ever Muslim Mayor.

In the closely watched election for New York City mayor, Mamdani scored a resounding victory, beating former state governor Andrew Cuomo with the highest voter turnout in decades.

Mamdani’s victory has reverberated far beyond New York’s five boroughs. The historic result on Tuesday is not just a political triumph for Mamdani and Democrats, but it marks a pivotal cultural and generational moment in the city and beyond. It says a lot about what it means to be a Muslim in America today.

Mamdani overcame attacks on his candidacy, with critics citing his inexperience and questioning how he would deliver on his promises to make the city more affordable.

Mamdani faced specific anti-Muslim attacks from some sections through his campaign. Ellie Cohanim, a former deputy special envoy to combat antisemitism in the first Trump Administration, posted a photo of the Twin Towers burning, on September 11, 2001, and wrote, “Never Forget. . . . Vote Andrew Cuomo & save our city”. There were headlines that linked Mamdani to terrorism.

After Mamdani won New York City's Democratic mayoral primary in June, Marjorie Taylor Greene, the congresswoman from Georgia, posted a photo on social media of the Statue of Liberty covered in a black burqa.

Mamdani's rival Cuomo made similar remarks. During an interview with the conservative radio host Sid Rosenberg, Cuomo asked if anyone could “imagine Mamdani in the seat,” if there were another 9/11. When Rosenberg replied, “He’d be cheering,” Cuomo chuckled along and said, “That’s another problem.”

Profound shift in American politics?

In that sense, Mamdani’s historic victory reflects a quiet but profound shift in American politics. Clearly, faith and identity no longer serve as barriers to public life in America, at least in NYC, the country's largest city.

Mamdani’s win also underscores how younger, diverse voters are reshaping the Democratic coalition by prioritising issues like housing, healthcare, and justice over traditional identity divides. Mamdani, through his out-of-the-box campaign, reached out to this class.

Mamdani's campaign included dozens of Muslim staff members. He has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause. “There isn’t a moment where we didn’t notice the Islamophobia,” Zara Rahim, a senior adviser on Mamdani’s campaign, told New Yorker in a recent interview.

Post-9/11 suspicion

For decades, Muslims in the USA have lived through post-9/11 suspicion. Mamdani’s rise offers a powerful counter-narrative to the Trump-era “Muslim Ban.”

Mamdani’s campaign was not built on identity politics, yet his Muslim faith spoke loudly. The son of a Ugandan Muslim father and an Indian mother, the filmmaker Mira Nair — Mamdani built his campaign on everyday issues that resonated across race, class, and faith: affordable housing, public safety, and economic justice.

Many say Mamdani reaching out to young, first-time voters, people of colour was reminiscent of the grassroots momentum that once powered Barack Obama. In fact, way back in 2008, Obama’s Presidential campaign initially met with his ‘Muslim’ background rumours.

New York City is home to about a million Muslims—nearly a quarter of the entire Muslim population of the United States. Mamdani prayed publicly and visited mosques during his campaign. Mamdani attended Friday prayers, and spoke to the congregation.

Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up.
Hours before the elections, Trump labelled Mamdani as ‘Jew hater’ and urged Jew voters not to vote for him. "Any Jewish person that votes for Zohran Mamdani, a proven and self professed JEW HATER, is a stupid person!!!" Trump posted on his social media platform.

In his victory speech on Tuesday night, Mamdani quoted Jawaharlal Nehru’s iconic “Tryst With Destiny” speech and tried to link his personal story to a broader struggle for justice and equality.

Towards the end, Mamdani quickly took the fight to Donald Trump. “Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: Turn the volume up,” Mamdani declared in his victory speech.

This fear and loathing of Islam reached a fever pitch after 9/11, when the humanity of American Muslims was frequently treated as incidental next to national security concerns, Dr Jalal Baig, physician and writer, wrote in MSNBC.

"Mamdani came of age in post-9/11 New York City and was scarred by its cruelty. He has recounted being interrogated at an airport about whether he had plans to attack New York and shared his aunt’s fear of riding the subway in a hijab,” he wrote.

‘To be Muslim in New York’

Days before the Election Day, Mamdani, flanked by several Muslim New Yorkers, stood in front of a mosque in the Bronx and delivered a tearful, ten-minute speech about enduring Islamophobia. Mamdani recounted how, after 9/11, he had been interrogated at an airport and asked if he had plans to attack New York, among other incidents.

“To be Muslim in New York is to expect indignity,” he said. “But indignity does not make us distinct—there are many New Yorkers who face it. It is the tolerance of that indignity,” Mamdani said.