NYC mayoral nominee’s anti-Israel views, political rise closely tied to Palestinian activist Sarsour

The Democrat nominee to be the next mayor of New York City has had a years-long and close affiliation with Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour, whose views on Israel have stirred years of controversy and accusations of anti-Zionism.

Zohran Mamdani’s relationship with Sarsour went largely unremarked during the primary race for City Hall even though he campaigned alongside her, and she called him her “friend.”

A Just the News review found that Mamdani embraced a nearly decade-long association with Sarsour as he rose from an activist to New York State assemblyman and now the Democrat Party’s nominee to run America’s largest city. Their views on the Jewish state, law enforcement, and far-left policies have been closely aligned.

“Peace can only begin by ending the occupation and dismantling apartheid,” Mamdani said of Israel the day after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas atrocities inflicted on Israel.

Extensive public support from Sarsour

Mamdani, a Ugandan-born Indian-American Muslim who is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday in the ranked-choice primary race to be the next mayor of NYC.

While concerns about Mamdani’s history of anti-Israel statements brought him scrutiny, his close relationship with Sarsour went largely under the radar. The Democratic primary in 2025 reportedly saw double the number of votes this time around as compared to the one in 2021.

Sarsour, a Palestinian-American activist and vocal anti-Israel critic, stepped down from leading the Women’s March in 2019 over allegations of antisemitism and her connections to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. Mamdani repeatedly appeared with Sarsour as he campaigned to be mayor in 2025 — and she has been a key part of his political rise for years.

Sarsour, who has close to 270,000 followers on Instagram, and hundreds of thousands on the other leading social media sites as well, has posted numerous messages encouraging Muslims to vote for him, with one post about Islamophobia grabbing 18,000 "likes." 

She describes herself as "an author, award-winning racial justice and civil rights activist, seasoned community organizer, and mother of three" on her self-promotional webpage. After Mamdani’s win on Tuesday, Sarsour was jubilant, posting on Instagram, “A name and money can’t beat people and faith. On to the general election and that’s gonna be another wild ride. We need a nap (a very short one).”

Hardline Islamist language used openly in campaign

The Democratic mayoral nominee’s own statement the day after the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attacks by Hamas made no mention of the terrorist group and included condemnation of Israel only. He lamented "Netanyahu's declaration of war" — but there was no condemnation of the Hamas-led terrorist attacks which had murdered hundreds of Israeli civilians attending a music festival as well as hundreds in kibbutzim near the Gaza border. Dozens of hostages had been taken just the day before, many of whom were then murdered. 

Just earlier this month, Mamdani also defended his use of the divisive phrase “globalizing the intifada.”

The investigation by Just the News — which reviewed thousands of social media posts, looked at little-noticed public interviews, and unearthed statements which have often gained next to no attention — shows the history of Mamdani making his way through a Sarsour-affiliated network which was key to eventually making him the Democratic nominee to lead the nation’s largest city.

The history of Mamdani and Sarsour 

They have both said they met each other during the unsuccessful city council campaign of Palestinian-American Pastor Khader El-Yateem, a campaign which Just the News found Sarsour helped run and in which Mamdani also played a key leadership role.

Sarsour glowingly endorsed Mamdani’s run for the state assembly in the NYC borough of Queens in 2020, and Mamdani was happy to accept the endorsement, thanking her repeatedly, touting the endorsement, and campaigning with her. 

Sarsour also repeatedly endorsed and advocated for Mamdani’s recent campaign for mayor, and the two appeared at events together repeatedly in 2025. The two also appeared at multiple leftwing activism events together in the years between Mamdani’s successful state assembly run and his decision to run for mayor.

Mamdani has cited his membership with the Muslim Democratic Club of New York (MDCNY), which had been led for two terms by none other than MDCNY co-founder Sarsour, as formative in his political career — and Mamdani was a board member for the MDCNY just after Sarsour’s presidency ended.

While he was with the MDCNY, Mamdani and Sarsour appeared in multiple photos together as she remained a regular presence with the club. MDCNY repeatedly touted Mamdani’s campaign for mayor this year, including hosting Mamdani for campaign events, including alongside Sarsour.

Mamdani also appeared to have been affiliated with Sarsour’s MPower Change advocacy group, Just the News found, with Mamdani being tagged on social media as a member of the pro-Muslim group run by Sarsour. MPower hosted Mamdani after he won his assembly race in 2020 and, as the leader of MPower, Sarsour was a major advocate for Mamdani in 2025.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has a close affiliation with Sarsour and repeatedly has her appear at events as a lecturer or keynote speaker, also poured money into Mamdani’s mayoral race this year, according to campaign finance records.

Mamdani, Sarsour, the MDCNY, MPower, and CAIR did not respond to repeated requests for comment from Just the News.

Team Cuomo noticed, but few voters knew

Christopher Leon Johnson, who listed himself as part of “Team Cuomo” on Instagram, also shared a series of posts in April 2025 showing Mamdani and Sarsour together at the MDCNY.

One post had Johnson saying Mamdani was “currently at the Muslim Democratic Club of New York post-Eid Event in Manhattan this evening.” The posts by Johnson show multiple photos of Mamdani speaking at the MDCNY, including multiple photos of Sarsour gazing fondly as Mamdani spoke.

He also posted more pictures of her up front as Mamdani gave his address, with multiple photos of Mamdani and Sarsour laughing together in front of the crowd, and video of Sarsour leading “Zohran! Zohran!” chants at the front as Mamdani smiles.

NYC mayor's race a "fight for Palestinian freedom"

Mamdani and Sarsour appeared at a January 2025 campaign event for Mamdani put on by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) Action. JVP is a well-organized anti-Israel activist organization.

“The fight for Palestinian freedom starts at the local level. That’s why JVP Action has endorsed Zohran Mamdani to be the next mayor of New York City,” JVP said. “Zohran is serious about justice for all people, from NYC to Palestine. And he is building a common-sense campaign to bring down the rent, create accessible and free public transit, and ensure our tax dollars fund our communities at home — not genocide abroad.” 

The group urged its followers to “come meet Zohran and hear from Linda Sarsour … about his historic campaign.” A disclaimer on Instagram said that this was “paid for by Zohran for NYC, a candidate for NYC Mayor.”

JVP Action said last week they had endorsed Mamdani, and that post was also paid for by Zohran for NYC. Sarsour said in the Instagram comments for the post that “I love you all so much.”

The MDCNY also shared an “MDCNY post-Eid Celebration” post on Facebook in April 2025. The video shows Mamdani speaking with Sarsour up at the front of the room with him. Another post from the group, apparently from the same event, shows Sarsour at the front of a large group leading a “Zohran #1!” cheer.

In the lead up to Mamdani declaring his mayoral run last year, Sarsour, Mamdani, the Democratic Socialists of America, and other groups all united to share an anti-Israel animated graphic created by Mamdani’s now-wife, Rama Duwaji, in June 2024.

Sarsour shared it with a caption which said “New York Listen Up. Palestine is on the ballot.” Mamdani, the DSA, and other groups shared it with a caption claiming that “New York charities send over $60 million every year to fund Israeli war crimes, and that number is only growing. It’s time to bring an end to this.”

Sarsour: Wage "jihad" on Trump

Sarsour infamously posted a tweet in 2011 which downplayed the concerns about the radical Muslim Brotherhood taking over Egypt, saying, “Yo the Muslim Brotherhood knows how to parrrttaaay! So much for radical islamists taking over!” She tweeted in 2012 that "nothing is creepier than Zionism.” 

Zionism is generally defined as the belief that the Jewish people should be allowed to have a national home in the biblical land of Israel. Sarsour tweeted in 2015 that a photograph of a child apparently preparing to throw rocks at Israeli police was “the definition of courage.” She also said in a 2017 speech that it was important to wage “jihad” against the Trump White House. She soon backpedaled on the meaning of the word "jihad" by claiming that critics were taking her words out of context as she emphasized her commitment to nonviolence. 

Sarsour also said in a 2018 speech that “I am an unapologetic pro-BDS, one-state solution supporting, resistance supporter here in the U.S.” A so-called “one-state solution” would likely result in the ending of the Jewish character of the nation of Israel.

As for “BDS,” then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in 2020 that “the United States strongly opposes the global discriminatory boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign (Global BDS Campaign) and practices that facilitate it, such as discriminatory labeling and the publication of databases of companies that operate in Israel or Israeli-controlled areas.” Pompeo added that “anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism” and so “the United States is, therefore, committed to countering the Global BDS Campaign as a manifestation of anti-Semitism.”

During a 2017 speech before the Islamic Society of North America, Sarsour reportedly referred to Imam Siraj Wahhaj as "my favorite person in this room.” Wahhaj had appeared on the DOJ’s list of possible unindicted co-conspirators in its criminal case against Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, an Egyptian Muslim cleric and prominent terrorist leader known as “the blind sheikh,” who was convicted of seditious conspiracy related to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Sarsour also has a history of praising the Nation of Islam, which has been led for decades by Louis Farrakhan. The Nation of Islam includes a belief in the superiority of black people over white people, including the view that white people were created by an evil scientist 6,000 years ago. Elijah Muhammad, who led the Nation of Islam for three decades before Farrakhan and considered himself a messenger of Allah, called white people "devils."

Farrakhan, who has led the group for decades, is known for his racist and anti-Semitic rhetoric. He said in 1984 that “Hitler was a very great man,” and in 2018, he referred to Jewish people as “termites.” In 2015, he said that “white people deserve to die.” Farrakhan also forged a relationship with the Church of Scientology, and famously helped organize the 1995 Million Man March on Washington, D.C.

Sarsour, who spoke in 2015 at the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March, tweeted in 2012 that “when we write the history of Islam in America, the Nation of #Islam is an integral part of that history.” She again tweeted in 2014 that one “can't learn or teach about the history of Islam in America without talking about the Nation of Islam.” 

Sarsour also appeared on the front cover of Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam newsletter in a January 2019 issue on “Sister Power.”

Despite her anti-Zionist and pro-BDS views, Sarsour has tried to dispel the notion that her rhetoric rises to the level of antisemitism. In 2018, she apologized for being slow to condemn antisemitism at a rally. “We should have been faster and clearer in helping people understand our values and our commitment to fighting anti-Semitism. We regret that,” she said in a statement.

But the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has directly accused Sarsour of fomenting antisemitism, referring to “the antisemitic statements and actions by Ms. Sarsour” and accusing the New York Times of overlooking her most extreme rhetoric in a 2022 article.

“Ms. Sarsour sought to exclude Zionists from what was supposed to be an intersectional movement, claiming it was impossible for one to be a supporter of Israel’s right to exist and a feminist at the same time,” ADL wrote in its letter to the Times. “She repeatedly has demonized supporters of the Jewish state and used inflammatory anti-Israel rhetoric, despite the fact that such slander indisputably encourages real-world antisemitism.”

The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law also released a lengthy analysis about “Linda Sarsour’s Problematic Views on Zionism and Anti-Semitism.”

The center, which describes itself as “an independent, unaffiliated, nonprofit corporation established to advance the civil and human rights of the Jewish people and promote justice for all,” stated that Sarsour “has posted numerous tweets that seem to echo anti-Semitic tropes popular among anti-Israel activists” and noted that her public commentary “illustrates Sarsour’s deeply felt hatred for Israel and its supporters.”

CAIR, Sarsour, and Mamdani

Sarsour has played a key role with CAIR for many years, including as the keynote speaker at numerous CAIR events. CAIR was key in funneling money to Mamdani’s mayoral race this year.

The FBI and DOJ have noted that “the evidence at trial” in its Holy Land Foundation (HLF) case “linked CAIR leaders to Hamas, a specially designated terrorist organization, and CAIR was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the case.” In that 2004 case, several key figures associated with HLF were indicted on charges related to terrorism financing and money laundering, culminating in convictions in 2008 for supporting a designated terrorist organization. According to The New York Post, Mamdani "once rapped about his ‘love’ for Hamas terror-funding group ‘Holy Land Five’."

The Texas synagogue hostage-taking by British citizen Malik Faisal Akram in January 2022 was the latest example of a long-standing obsession among global jihadist groups with freeing convicted Pakistani terrorist Aafia Siddiqui — a goal shared by CAIR.

Akram was following a path laid out by terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda, the Islamic State, and the Taliban, which have all sought to use hostages to free the jihadi heroine, a virulent anti-Semite convicted in 2010 and sentenced to 86 years for attempting to shoot and kill U.S. military members in Afghanistan. When detained in Afghanistan in 2008, she allegedly was in possession of notes referring to a “mass casualty attack” in the United States and a list of New York City landmarks.

CAIR mildly condemned the hostage-taking in 2022, saying that “this antisemitic attack against a house of worship is unacceptable” and that CAIR and Siddiqui’s family want her freed through “legal and non-violent means only” but at the same time defended Siddiqui as “wrongly convicted.”

CAIR’s Dallas Fort-Worth chapter had held a rally in September 2021 at the Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort-Worth where Siddiqui is imprisoned, less than a half-hour drive from the synagogue. CAIR-Texas then held a discussion in November 2021 advocating for Siddiqui’s release — featuring Sarsour. 

As an assemblyman in May 2023, Mamdani was captured in a video declaring he “welcomes members from … the Council of American Islamic Relations… to the Assembly Chamber.”

Framing murder as heroic: "Israel does not have that right to self-defense"

Nihad Awad, the executive director of CAIR, praised the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7 during a speech the month after they occurred in 2023.

"The people of Gaza only decided to break the siege, the walls of the concentration camp, on October 7,” Awad said in November 2023, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute. 

“And yes, I was happy to see people breaking the siege and throwing down the shackles of their own land, and walk free into their land, which they were not allowed to walk in. And yes, the people of Gaza have the right to self-defense, have the right to defend themselves, and yes, Israel, as an occupying power, does not have that right to self-defense,” CAIR's leader reportedly said.

The Biden White House, which had announced earlier in 2023 that it was partnering with CAIR to combat antisemitism, released a statement saying that "we condemn these shocking, anti-Semitic statements in the strongest terms."

CAIR Action on Tuesday urged voters to pick Mamdani, posting on Instagram, “It’s Election Day! Remember to vote for the CAIR Action endorsed candidate: ZOHRAN MAMDANI FOR MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY!”

Awad said in a 2024 podcast that the goal of CAIR Action was to “elevate the influence of the Muslim community.” CAIR also defended Mamdani during the campaign this month.

Sarsour’s Instagram profile this year said “Let’s Make Zohran Mayor!” with a link going to an ActBlue page to “Donate to New Yorkers for Lower Costs.” The webpage for “New Yorkers for Lower Costs” is direct in its goal — “SupportZohran.com”

“This year, you can rank up to five candidates for Mayor. If you want a candidate who is focused on lowering your cost of living, rank Zohran Mamdani first and do not rank Andrew Cuomo. Make your vote count!” the website said.

New Yorkers for Lower Costs spent $847,046 to support Mamdani and $416,089 to oppose Cuomo, according to financial records. Sarsour donated $2,500 to the group in June. A disclosure line on the website said that among the top three donors to the group was the Unity & Justice Fund.

The Unity & Justice Fund was formed by CAIR last year and donated $100,000 to the Mamdani-supporting group, as reported by the Free Beacon. Campaign records show the CAIR-linked group donated $25,000 to New Yorkers for Lower Costs in May and $75,000 to the Mamdani-supporting group in June.

Awad said in a 2024 podcast that CAIR had launched the Unity & Justice Fund in order to and to "use money to protect the interests of the [Muslim] community.” After Mamdani’s victory on Tuesday, Awad said that the result from the primary was “a win for Palestine.”

CAIR had announced in November 2024 that “activist Linda Sarsour plans to emcee at its upcoming 30th anniversary banquet.” She was also a banquet speaker for CAIR-Chicago and the keynote speaker for CAIR-Massachusetts that month.

CAIR has also worked closely with Sarsour’s MPower group over the years.

Mamdani campaigned with Sarsour in 2020

Sarsour also endorsed Mamdani during his successful 2020 run for the state assembly, urging her supporters to help send Mamdani to the legislature in Albany. Mamdani was thrilled about the endorsement and praised her as he accepted it.

Later in May 2020, Mamdani held a virtual campaign event with Sarsour, and the candidate tweeted, “Join us for a digital rally tonight at 7pm with @lsarsour to learn how you can help.” 

The “One Month Out Digital Rally with Linda Sarsour” shared on Mamdani's social media accounts featured a poster with Sarsour and Mamdani.

Sarsour tweeted in June 2020 that she was “so proud of @ZohranKMamdani. He’s leading so far but no matter what happens he’s a winner and made our community so proud. Let’s do this fam!” She tweeted again that month that “I want the whole world to know how proud I am of @ZohranKMamdani. That’s all.” Mamdani replied with a red heart emoji.

After his win in the state assembly race, Sarsour’s MPower group hosted Mamdani to discuss his victory during the “My Muslim Vote Summit” in December 2020. “Don’t miss out on key insights from one of our special keynote speakers and Democratic Winner for NY’s 36th District @zohrankmamdani,” Sarsour’s group said as it shared a poster of Mamdani. The group also said “don’t miss out on key insights from our very own @lsarsour” as it shared a poster of Sarsour as well.

The affiliated MPower Action group tweeted in December 2020 asking people to join their group and the MDCNY “to hear from new Muslim electeds to learn ‘Why They Ran’ + their plans for policies that achieve justice for our communities!” Mamdani was included in the event promotion, and the group shared quotes from Mamdani from the discussion.

Mamdani's "hunger strike" in support of Palestinians

Once in office, Mamdani continued to interact with Sarsour on social media. When sharing a picture of a pro-Palestine march in June 2021, he tweeted, “To the organizers, speakers, and everyone who came out — thank you for your solidarity & love.” Among those tagged was Sarsour.

“We are proud of YOU!” Sarsour replied, and Mamdani replied in turn with a yellow heart emoji.

Mamdani also participated in a hunger strike outside the White House with Sarsour in late November and early December 2023. The Washington Post wrote at the time that “Mamdani and others wanted to starve themselves to represent the Palestinians starving in Gaza, in hopes of bringing their message to the U.S. president’s home.”

A reporter with JD Forward tweeted in late November 2023 that Mamdani and Sarsour were among those attending a candlelight vigil outside the White House.

“Yesterday we ended our five-day hunger strike,” Mamdani said on Instagram in early December 2023. He included a photo of himself behind a podium with a sign that read “Biden, you are starving Gaza. Permanent ceasefire now!”

Sanitizing the phrase “Globalizing the Intifada”

Mamdani told the leftwing Jacobin magazine that “I started organizing around solidarity for Palestinians. I co-founded my college’s Students for Justice in Palestine.” Mamdani started his chapter of the pro-Palestine group when attending Bowdoin College.

This month, Mamdani was asked about chants about “globalizing the intifada” — and defended the phrase. “To me, ultimately, what I hear in so many is a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights,” Mamdani said on The Bulwark podcast last week. 

“And I think what’s difficult also is that the very word has been used by the Holocaust Museum when translating the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising into Arabic, because it’s a word that means struggle,” Mamdani said, and added that “as a Muslim man who grew up post-9/11, I’m all too familiar in the way in which Arabic words can be twisted, can be distorted, can be used to justify any kind of meaning.”

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum criticized Mamdani’s remarks last week. "Exploiting the Museum and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising to sanitize 'globalize the intifada' is outrageous and especially offensive to survivors," the museum wrote in an X post. "Since 1987 Jews have been attacked and murdered under its banner. All leaders must condemn its use and the abuse of history."

The Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) at West Point detailed just how deadly the Palestinian-led intifadas were.

“With the onset of the Second Intifada in 2000, Hamas attacks dramatically increased. Between 2000 and 2005, 39.9 percent of the 135 suicide attacks carried out during the Second Intifada were executed by Hamas,” the West Point center assessed. “According to the Global Terrorism Database, Hamas killed 857 people and injured 2,819 between 1987 and 2020. Intended to terrorize not only the targeted individuals but also the general Israeli population, Hamas attacks have been indiscriminate in nature.”

Housed in the Department of Social Sciences at West Point, the privately-funded CTC says it "is uniquely situated at the nexus of theory and practice, which enables it to serve as a focal point and an independent voice on terrorism and counterterrorism policy and strategy."

Mamdani's storm of anti-Semitic postings on social media

Mamdani has also tweeted repeatedly about supporting the BDS movement.

He tweeted in August 2020 that “#BDS is a righteous movement for liberation, one supported by queer people & Jewish people & socialists & abolitionists & all those who know another world is possible.” He sought to link BDS and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in a June 2021 tweet, where he said, “We are paving a new path, one where we stand against injustice & apartheid whether in Ferguson or Palestine. I'm proud to stand with electeds & organizers that are making this call. #BLM or #BDS — it's all about justice.”

Mamdani also told former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan in December 2024 that “as mayor, New York City would arrest Benjamin Netanyahu” and lamented that “Netanyahu issued military commands from this very city.” Netanyahu reportedly approved the September 2024 Israeli strike in Lebanon from his hotel in New York which killed Hezbollah terrorist leader Hassan Nasrallah, according to The Times of Israel.

The future mayoral nominee also met with popular far-left online streamer Hasan Piker during the campaign. Piker had said in 2019 that "America deserved 9/11."

Mamdani has also repeatedly accused Israel of committing a genocide, tweeting out the allegation dozens of times. Mamdani began accusing Israel of a genocide two weeks after the Hamas terrorist attacks in October 2023.

“I will always be clear in my language and based in facts: Israel is committing a genocide,” Mamdani said on social media in October 2024.

The Sarsour playbook: Criticism of Mamdani labeled Islamophobia

Mamdani has also targeted the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a U.S. advocacy group which describes itself as “Proud Pro-Israel Americans” and says that it “brings together Democrats and Republicans to advance our shared mission. Building bipartisan support for the U.S.-Israel relationship is an American value we are proud to champion.”

While donning a keffiyeh, Mamdani said in a February 2024 speech that “we are here today because AIPAC is suppressing American public sentiment. We are here today because they are subverting American democracy!” He also expressed his opposition to Zionism when he tweeted in 2023 about the “rightful criticism of Israeli settler colonialism, Zionism, & the NYPD.” 

Mamdani also said in a June 2025 mayoral debate that “I believe Israel has the right to exist as a state with equal rights.” Cuomo then interjected, “Not as a Jewish state.”

When asked earlier this month why he didn’t respond more viscerally to antisemitism, Mamdani told reporters that “there is no room for antisemitism in this city and this country” — but he claimed that when he speaks with emotion he is characterized as a “monster” and called it “the very sad burden of what it means to be the first Muslim candidate to run for mayor.” In social media posts of Mamdani's speech, one sarcastic commenter saw the irony that mainstream media missed: "'There's no room for anti-Semitism, also globalize the intifada!', love when Dems have a coherent, non-contradictory set of ideas."

Mamdani sings about his love for convicted terrorism funders

Before formally entering the political scene, Mamdani tried his hand at a rap music career, including a number of songs that lamented what he saw as the difficulty of being Muslim in America and that praised a group of American Muslims convicted for their support of terrorism. At one point, Sarsour made it clear she was a fan.

He released a heavily auto-tuned electronic rap track titled “Salaam” in March 2017 which remains on his SoundCloud page. The song was first unearthed by social media poster Canary Mission, who pointed out that Mamdani sang about — with praise — that Mamdani sent his "love" to them.

Mamdani tweeted in March 2017 that the song was “about being Muslim in America today” and in April 2017 that it was “about being Muslim in NYC today.” The song does not appear to have taken off, as eight years later it has merely nine likes on SoundCloud.

“No ban, no wall, build it up, we’ll make it fall” the lyrics say in a clear reference to Trump’s immigration restrictions placed on a number of Muslim-majority countries in his first term and to Trump’s vow to build a wall along the U.S. southern border. The lyrics continue, “Me llamo [my name is] Zohran // My love to the Holy Land Five // You better look ‘em up.”

The Justice Department in 2004 announced an indictment against the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development and seven of its senior leaders “for providing and conspiring to provide material support to Hamas.” Five of the Holy Land Foundation’s leaders were convicted for this crime in 2008, and they were sentenced to decades in prison in 2009.

Mamdani said in a 2017 interview that “Today, Muslims are the monsters. The artwork [for his music] draws on that too, showing the discrepancy between a lady in a hijab and her shadow.” Mamdani went by the stage name “Mr. Cardamom” as he made more music. 

“.@MrCardamom just won the internet today,” Sarsour tweeted in April 2019. “I LOVE THIS. #Nani” Sarsour was sharing a New York Times article about one of Mamdani’s songs. Mamdani retweeted Sarsour’s tweet and also replied to it with a crying emoji and three red heart emojis.

“Mr. Cardamom” soon told his followers to check out his state assembly campaign. “I’m running for NY State Assembly here in Astoria and I’m doing it bc [because] I spend each day at work coming up against the legacy of Albany’s bankrupt policies,” Mamdani tweeted from his current X account in October 2019.

“Mr. Cardamom” quote-tweeted in a November 2019 post, saying, “You know I'll be forever spicy, but I'm taking a break from being a spice to answer the question of what happens when a B-list rapper runs for office. Come through @ZohranKMamdani if you want answers.”

Sarsour and Mamdani “friends” as far back as 2018

Sarsour was counting Mamdani as among her “friends” in 2018, and there are indications that Mamdani was affiliated with her MPower Change group that year. Sarsour referred to Mamdani as one of her “friends” who she was “proud of” in a June 2018 tweet, saying, “Special shoutout to the fabulous … @zokwma.”

She was sharing a City and State New York article titled “Muslims in politics celebrate the end of Ramadan” which featured Mamdani. “I think a lot of people mistakenly think of it as a thing that you suffer through,” Zohran was quoted as saying. “It’s actually a beautiful time.”

The outlet said that “this is the first time that Mamdani is observing Ramadan fully in many years” and quoted Mamdani as saying, “I've been surprised to find that I wanted to keep going. I initially thought that I would just count the days down. I'm hardly looking forward to a time without Ramadan.”

Mamdani also appeared to be a member of Sarsour’s MPower in 2018.

The leftwing New York Communities for Change identified Mamdani as a member of the group in a November 2018 tweet. 

“Amazon works with ICE. Amazon has pitched facial recognition to ICE. Amazon has fired workers for observing Ramadan. How can we be a sanctuary city or state when we are giving billions to a company that wants to make it easier to deport us?” the group quoted Mamdani as saying, identifying him as “@zokwma from @MPower_Change.”

Mamdani said in an October 2020 interview with the Muslim Caucus that his membership in the MDCNY was critical in motivating him to run for office as a state assemblyman.

A look at the posts from the MDCNY shows that Mamdani and Sarsour crossed paths multiple times in the group, and they appear in selfies together. The MDCNY identified Sarsour in 2015 as being a board member and as having been the group’s two-term president.

Mamdani: Ramadan "drew me to socialism"

“When thinking about what motivated me to run for office, you know, I had been involved in local politics here in New York City for a few years. I had worked on a city council campaign, a state senate campaign, a district attorney campaign,” Mamdani said in 2020. “And I did all of this work through two different organizations — one was the Muslim Democratic Club of New York, and one was the Democratic Socialists of America - New York City branch. And through that work, I met many people who were similarly invested in bringing about a better world for the people around us.”

Mamdani added, “It’s not a very big jump from me in being Muslim and understanding what the beauties of socialism are, because for me one of the most beautiful things about Islam is Ramadan.” Mamdani said it was the “framework” and "lens" of Ramadan which “kind of in many ways drew me into socialism.”

Mamdani’s affiliation with the MDCNY dates back to at least February 2018, when the group tweeted, “Congrats @zokwma on receiving the Community Empower Award! Thank you for your dedication to our community and continuing the fight for Justice! #MuslimVote #MuslimVote2018 #MuslimDems.”

The group listed Mamdani as being a member of the board beginning in early 2018.

“Congratulations to the newly elected 2018 Muslim Democratic Club of NY (MDCNY) Board Members!” the MDCNY posted in April 2018. “MDCNY is the first city-wide Muslim American Democratic club in the country, dedicated to empowering the Muslim community though political activism. Join our movement.” The post shows a smiling Mamdani with other board members.

The MDCNY posted on Facebook in March 2019 that they were “so proud of the community we’re building. Shout out to MDCNY members for holding space last night to reflect on New Zealand and the impact of Islamophobia.” The photograph showed a group with Sarsour and Mamdani sitting at the front of the group photo.

A Facebook post by the group from May 2019 — captioned “MDCNY board!” — included a selfie that Sarsour took with Mamdani and other MDCNY board members.

Multiple other posts from December 2018, May 2019, and December 2019 also show Mamdani’s participation with the MDCNY.

The group has tweeted positively about Sarsour numerous times and has attempted to defend her against criticism. “Islamophobia was a driver in the attacks on @lsarsour which has become mainstreamed,” the MDCNY tweeted in 2022.

“Happy #spicy35 Birthday to MDCNY Board Member Linda Sarsour and thank you for serving as our President for back to back terms!” the MDCNY said on Facebook in March 2015. “Here's to 35 more years of consistent, strategic civic engagement in NYC Muslim communities. #MuslimDems.” The photo included in that post is a selfie of Sarsour with a birthday cake and other MDC leaders.

The MDCNY shared multiple posts showing their campaign efforts for Mamdani this year.

The group posted in April 2025 that “the Purisics and Ibrics are committed to organizing their family and the Bosniak community to rank Zohran Kwame Mamdani #1 for Mayor. Relational organizing is effective and powerful. Every vote they get for Zohran is built on truth and trust.”

Numerous other posts by the group in May 2025 and June 2025 show the MDCNY working to get Mamdani elected. There are also dozens of photos of the MDCNY showing its members campaigning for Zohran in a Facebook group album titled “#NYC4Zohran - Rank Zohran #1 for Mayor.”

Mamdani says “Defund the Police” then backtracks

Mamdani tweeted repeatedly about the need to “Defund the Police" — a position he tried to back away from when he ran for mayor this year. The twist that Mamdani put out in his calls to defund the New York Police Department is similar to the messaging by Sarsour — the duo sought to blame Israel for alleged police brutality in the United States.

Sarsour reportedly said in 2018 during a speech for the Islamic Society of North America annual convention that ADL was an “organization that takes police officers from America, funds their trips, takes them to Israel so they can be trained by the Israeli police and military, and then they come back here and do what? Stop and frisk, killing unarmed black people across the country."

Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the ADL, said in 2017 that “we profoundly reject Linda Sarsour’s positions that delegitimize Israel.”

“She repeatedly has demonized supporters of the Jewish state and used inflammatory anti-Israel rhetoric, despite the fact that such slander indisputably encourages real-world antisemitism,” Greenblatt said of Sarsour in 2022.

Mamdani tweeted in June 2020 that “we don't need an investigation to know that the NYPD is racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety. What we need is to #DefundTheNYPD.” And he tweeted in November 2020 that “queer liberation means defund the police.”

Mamdani even pushed back when Cuomo said in 2020 that defunding the police didn’t really mean defunding the police, with Mamdani insisting that the slogan meant exactly what it said.

But the future mayoral candidate made it clear that there was an anti-Israel bent to his “Defund the Police” arguments.

"Our city and state governments have partnerships with Israeli municipalities and the state and that we can hold our governments accountable by really going after those partnerships...with the goal of dismantling them,” Mamdani said in a June 2021 podcast.

“When I think of partnerships, I think of how the NYPD [New York Police Department] and the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] have had a relationship for many years. A relationship that has meant, you know, tactics of oppression crossing from one country to the other, and that has meant an increased, you know, surveillance and oppression of marginalized people wherever they may be. And I think that the Jewish Voice for Peace had a spotlight on this relationship," he said.

Mamdani attempted to make similar allegations in an Instagram post in June 2021 promoting a rally titled, “From Steinway to Ferguson to Sheikh Jarrah: Defund State Violence.”

Mamdani urged his supporters to “bring masks, posters, flags, and keffiyehs.” Al Jazeera has noted that the keffiyeh was “the personal trademark of Yasser Arafat, the late Palestinian leader” and that “the keffiyeh has been adopted globally…to support the Palestinian cause.”

The Sunnyside Post reported at the time that Mamdani and others had organized the rally and that “they are calling for the local divestment from the NYPD and for the federal government to stop funding the Israeli military.” The outlet said that “Mamdani … will be speaking at the rally along with Linda Sarsour.”

“We take to the streets to stand against the idea that violence against some creates security for others,” Mamdani said in a statement to the outlet. “The calls to defund the NYPD and end military aid to Israel are rooted in the same belief that true safety comes from an investment in our communities.”

Mamdani posted a video of himself leading the protesters in a chant in which he attempted to link the leftwing BLM and BDS movements.

“When I say ‘BLM’ I want you to respond with ‘BDS’ because these are the intertwined calls for justice and for liberation,” Mamdani told the hundreds of protesters, then leading them in a call-and-response where he shouted “BLM!” and then shouted back “BDS!”

Mamdani was leading the chants in front of a giant banner about the need to “Disarm,” “Defund,” and “Abolish” the NYPD. He declared that “there are no more boundaries to this fight.”

In response to these allegations made by Sarsour and Mamdani, the ADL said that "this charge has been propagated by ideological critics of Israel who seek to inject alleged Israeli – and at times American Jewish – complicity into issues of American societal injustice" and that "those who make this spurious argument have focused more on tarring Israel than promoting real solutions to confronting and transforming systemic American inequities and abuses."

Mamdani, Sarsour, and Father El-Yateem

Both Mamdani and Sarsour pointed to the unsuccessful 2017 Democratic primary campaign of Father Khader El-Yateem — a democratic socialist and Arab-American leftwing activist who ran for New York City council — as the moment they met.

Mamdani tweeted in 2020 that “I met @lsarsour on the @KhaderElyateem campaign.” When endorsing Mamdani’s run for mayor, Sarsour posted that the “last time I was ever this excited was when I helped run the campaign of Pastor Khader El-Yateem in Brooklyn and we only lost by 380 votes! That’s where I met Zohran and that’s when I knew he was a star!”

Sarsour and El-Yateem were close to each other. The Nation noted that El-Yateem had “served on the board of the Arab American Association of New York, one of the main organizing bodies for New York City’s Arabs, alongside Linda Sarsour.” Sarsour is the former executive director of the Arab American Association of New York.

El-Yateem ran for a New York City Council seat in the Democratic primary in 2017 and came in second place. He backed the BDS movement aimed at Israel during the campaign.

The documentary “Brooklyn Inshallah” is about El-Yateem’s campaign, and it prominently features Sarsour, with the trailer for the documentary showing a close-up of Sarsour crying in the audience as she reacts to a speech by El-Yateem.

“I support BDS. And I will say this publicly, I say it to everyone. It is an issue of justice. It is a nonviolent resistance against the Israeli occupation of Palestine,” El-Yateem said in 2017. “So am I supporting BDS? 100 percent. Because I believe that it is the only nonviolent way to help Israel become a better democracy in the Middle East.”

El-Yateem was also a member of the DSA, and said in 2017 that “I am proud to be endorsed by DSA, and I am proud to be a member.”

Mamdani said in a 2023 interview with City and State New York that “it was a campaign that changed my life.” He had also told Jacobin in a 2021 interview that “I ran the paid canvass for that campaign, and that was the beginning of my work within local politics in New York City in a serious way.”

“He was a socialist, he was pro-BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions), and he was running for local office,” Mamdani said of El-Yateem. “These are all things that I had been told could never exist simultaneously in a person. And their existence was not a cause for fear or anxiety among so many but, in fact, of inspiration.”

The young self-described democratic socialist will face multiple opponents in the mayoral general election this November: scandal-plagued incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who will be running as an independent; Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, the founder of NYC’s Guardian Angels, who got blown out by Adams in the 2021 mayoral race; independent Jim Walden; and potentially even Cuomo again if the former governor decides to mount his own independent bid.

Although public polling on the topic is scarce at this point, in the heavily Democratic metropolis, Mamdani may be the favorite to win the general election in America's largest city if he can continue to convince the legacy media that his anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian statements should be ignored.