Mamdani Faces Islamophobic Attacks After Comments About Hamas

Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, faced vitriolic attacks that suggested he was a terrorist sympathizer after he gave an indirect answer to a question on Wednesday about whether Hamas should lay down arms and step aside in Gaza.

Representative Elise Stefanik, a Republican ally of President Trump and likely candidate for governor of New York next year, called Mr. Mamdani a “jihadist.”

Representative Laura Gillen, a Democrat from Long Island who has opposed Mr. Mamdani’s candidacy, said he was “pro-Hamas” and “unfit to hold any office in the United States.”

And a top adviser to former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, Mr. Mamdani’s leading campaign rival, criticized Mr. Mamdani for refusing to “denounce a terrorist organization,” though he has done so repeatedly.

Mr. Mamdani’s harsh criticism of Israel and vocal support for Palestinian rights has been a lightning rod for months in the race for mayor. Still, the attacks marked a new level of acrimony in the race’s final weeks.

His allies described the rhetoric as xenophobic and dangerous.

“We should call these comments out for what they are: lazy Islamophobic attacks on the Democratic nominee poised to become our city’s first Muslim mayor,” said Dora Pekec, a spokeswoman for Mr. Mamdani.

Mr. Mamdani faced the question about Hamas during an interview on Fox News that aired Wednesday. His comments attracted attention in part because he has been one of the most outspoken voices on the American left commenting on the war in Gaza for two years.

He answered by saying he wanted to focus on addressing affordability in New York City and that he hoped for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Pressed further by the host, Martha MacCallum, Mr. Mamdani said: “I don’t really have opinions about the future of Hamas and Israel beyond the question of justice and safety and the fact that anything has to abide by international law, and that applies to Hamas, that applies to the Israeli military and that applies to anyone you could ask me about.”

The reaction from Ms. Stefanik, long known for making incendiary comments, was blistering. She said in a radio interview on Thursday that Mr. Mamdani was a “a full-blown jihadist who has called for the genocide of Jews” and called on Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has endorsed Mr. Mamdani, to condemn his remarks. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said on Thursday that Mr. Mamdani’s comments reflected how the Democratic Party was catering to “Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens and violent criminals.”

Mr. Mamdani has not called for genocide against Jews or expressed support for Hamas. The term jihadist refers to a Muslim person engaged in a holy war against enemies of Islam. Mr. Mamdani has condemned violence in the Middle East and said that his criticism of Israel was based on his concerns for Palestinians and a “shared sense of humanity.”

Mr. Mamdani is likely to face criticism over his views on Israel at the first debate in the general election on Thursday. He has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and said that he does not think it should be an explicitly Jewish state, but rather a place of equal rights for all. He has also said that as mayor, he would have Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested if he visits New York City.

Mr. Cuomo, who is running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary to Mr. Mamdani, has described him as a “terrorist sympathizer.” Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee, has said that he does not plan to criticize Mr. Mamdani over his faith at the debate and has instead argued that he is weak on crime and other issues.

On Thursday, Ms. Stefanik reiterated her criticism of Mr. Mamdani on social media, claiming that his stance on Hamas was the reason that prominent Democrats like Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Hakeem Jeffries have not endorsed him.

The comments from Ms. Stefanik came as she faced criticism over her connections to a Young Republicans group in New York whose members sent offensive text messages that were revealed by Politico. The messages used racist and misogynistic language and expressed admiration for Hitler.

Ms. Stefanik’s adviser said the congresswoman was “absolutely appalled” by the messages and called for members who were involved to step down.

Ms. Hochul said on MSNBC on Wednesday that Ms. Stefanik and JD Vance, the vice president, should more forcefully condemn the group.

“Why don’t you say, ‘That’s not who we are as a party, and these people do not belong in our party’?” Ms. Hochul said. “But no, they just try to act like it’s ordinary behavior in the Republican Party. Maybe it is. Maybe that’s what’s very telling.”

Earlier this week, Ms. Hochul criticized Ms. Stefanik’s previous attacks on Mr. Mamdani and said she was contributing to a toxic political climate.

“Look at your inflammatory words,” she said. “Maybe they have an effect on these young people.”

Mr. Mamdani has faced attacks and threats throughout his mayoral campaign, raising concerns about his safety. A Texas man was charged last month with threatening Mr. Mamdani and sending him messages filled with anti-Muslim insults calling him a terrorist.

Ms. Gillen, a moderate Democrat who represents a suburban swing district, has criticized Mr. Mamdani’s campaign and declined to endorse him. On Wednesday, Ms. Gillen posted a link on social media to a New York Post story about Mr. Mamdani’s comments on Fox News and wrote, “Shame!”

In a statement on Thursday, Ms. Gillen defended her remark, saying, “Whether or not to disarm terrorists is not a hard question, and I’m going to call out anyone who gets it wrong.”

Lincoln Restler, a Democratic City Council member from Brooklyn who supports Mr. Mamdani, responded to Ms. Gillen’s post, saying that he had helped organize people to knock on doors in her district last year to help her get elected. He told Ms. Gillen that he was disappointed by her comments.

“You don’t need to support Zohran, but don’t lie about his positions and inaccurately vilify him,” he said. “Do better.”