1 day ago
8
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
As he leans into his Muslim faith, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani’s positions on the Israel-Gaza war have drawn criticism from across the political spectrum.
June 12, 2025Updated 7:45 a.m. ET
After a day partially spent celebrating Eid al-Adha with Muslims across the city, Zohran Mamdani sat inside a West Village church on Friday for a friendly town hall on confronting corporate greed.
Roughly 10 minutes in, a protester loudly disrupted the event. When he was done, a second protester jumped in. Both took offense at Mr. Mamdani’s position on the Israel-Gaza war; his characterization of Israel’s actions as a genocide has become a wedge issue in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City.
But the protesters complained that Mr. Mamdani had not gone far enough. They said he was too soft on Israel, objecting to his stance that Israel had a right to exist as a nation. Mr. Mamdani, they said, had strayed from his Muslim roots.
The candidate took immediate offense.
“To call into question how I consider myself Muslim,” he said, “is a step too far.”
For Mr. Mamdani, running to be New York City’s first mayor of Muslim faith has involved a delicate balancing act, especially as the war in Gaza drags on. His faith has always been a central part of his political identity, dating to his first campaign for State Assembly.
But his various stances related to the war — he supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement; believes the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, should be arrested; and does not equate anti-Zionism with antisemitism — have proved divisive during the campaign and have sometimes drawn attention to his religion.
