Zohran Mamdani defends Muslim identity, says his aunt felt unsafe in hijab after 9/11'; receives response from JD Vance

In an emotional speech ahead of voting in New York City mayoral elections, Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani slammed his opponents for “racist" attacks and defended his Muslim faith. Pledging to further embrace his Muslim identity, Mamdani spoke about the “indignities” long faced by the city’s Muslim population. He was encircled by faith leaders outside a Bronx mosque where he mentioned that he was advised to keep his faith to himself when he entered politics. Holding back his tears and in a choking voice, Mamdani shared about his aunt “who stopped taking the subway after September 11th because she did not feel safe in her hijab.”

This comes as on Saturday, in-person voting begun for one of the most closely followed US elections this year — the New York City mayoral race. New Yorkers started casting their votes for Democrat Zohran Mamdani, Republican Curtis Sliwa, and former Governor Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent.

“I want to speak to the memory of my aunt who stopped taking the subway after September 11th because she did not feel safe in her hijab. I want to speak to the Muslim who works for our city, whether they teach in our schools or walk the beat for the NYPD,” Mamdani said. “To be Muslim in New York is to expect indignity, but indignity does not make us distinct. There are many New Yorkers who face it. It is the tolerance of that indignity that does,” Mamdani added. “Since I announced my candidacy for mayor one year ago yesterday, I have sought to be the candidate fighting for every single New Yorker, not simply the Muslim candidate. I’ve carried these indignities with me each moment of this race, doing so all the while as the first major Muslim candidate in the history of our city, he added. Mamdani also criticised his opponents Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa for Islamophobic statements and said, “And every day, Super PAC ads imply that I am a terrorist or mock the way I eat.”

Mamdani slammed for ‘Muslim identity’ speech

Slamming Mamdani, US Vice President JD Vance in a post on X, sarcastically said that according to Zohran, the real victim of 9/11 was his aunt, who supposedly received some unfriendly looks. Lux Capital cofounder Josh Wolfe also said on X that Mamdani ruined his campaign with his remarks, calling them fake and unrepresentative of New Yorkers. Meanwhile, Greg Price commented sarcastically that Mamdani’s aunt was being portrayed as the true victim of 9/11.