AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Tensions have intensified in the final days of New York’s mayoral race following Islamophobic remarks by U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance against Zohran Mamdani, the leading Democratic candidate who could become the city’s first Muslim mayor.
In a post on social media, Vance mocked Mamdani’s recent comments on rising Islamophobia after the September 11 attacks, accusing him of sympathizing with “a Muslim relative’s insecurity” instead of showing compassion for the victims of the terrorist attack. The statement drew praise from circles aligned with former President Donald Trump, who have previously labeled Mamdani a “communist” and even threatened him with arrest.
Mamdani, in a ten-minute emotional speech outside a mosque in the Bronx on Friday, recounted that one of his relatives had avoided using the subway after 9/11 out of fear of Islamophobic violence. He warned that Islamophobia is once again resurging in American political discourse, accusing Republicans of using “cheap jokes about Islam” to avoid confronting systemic discrimination.
A video of his remarks, viewed more than nine million times on social media, sparked a wave of solidarity from Muslim communities across the United States. Some observers compared Mamdani’s address to Barack Obama’s 2008 speech on race, calling it a defining moment in confronting prejudice in American politics.
Meanwhile, Vance and Trump’s allies have continued their attacks. Republican Representative Elise Stefanik described Mamdani as a “jihadist” during a televised interview, while a former Trump administration official posted an image of the burning Twin Towers, urging voters to back Andrew Cuomo to “save the city.”
Democrats denounced the attacks as “cruel” and a “cynical exploitation of the 9/11 tragedy.” Mamdani, attending a memorial event for the victims of the attacks, dismissed the accusations, declaring that he “will no longer hide his identity in the shadows” and will proudly stand by his Islamic faith.
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