Oleh Shamsi Ali Al-Kajangi
Actually, without realizing it, the New York City mayoral election this time has been recorded as a unique history in many ways. Many things have happened that have never happened before in the history of mayoral elections. First, a former governor who was forced to resign for scandals is running as a mayoral candidate. For the first time, the election features many candidates and a balance between white and non-white candidates. There are eight candidates competing this time.
Perhaps the most important historical note about the New York City mayoral election this time is that for the first time, there's a candidate who's openly and proudly declaring himself as a Muslim. Zohran Mamdani is a Muslim immigrant of South Asian (Indian) descent, born in Uganda, who came to this country at the age of seven. Just a year after becoming a US citizen, Zohran ran for and won a seat in the New York State Assembly.
Zohran Mamdani's candidacy is historic due to several factors. He's the first Muslim candidate to run for mayor, and his nomination has garnered significant support from New York society. Notably, this is remarkable given the strong Jewish presence in New York City. What's more, Zohran is the first mayoral candidate to openly oppose the Gaza genocide and show support for Palestine. He also challenges the notion of labeling Israel as a Jewish State, deeming it inconsistent with America's stance on other global nations.
In nutshell, Zohran’s support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, his open description Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide, and for equal rights in Israel for Jewish and non Jewish citizens is just beyond any conventional politics.
First Muslim elected Mayor in New York City
However, the biggest dream and hope of the Muslim community in New York and US is for Zohran to be elected as the first Muslim Mayor of New York City. This would be a historic moment that would bring pride to the Muslim community in New York City, America, and even the world.
That dream and hope aren't baseless. All signs point to its possibility and feasibility. When Zohran launched his campaign, he had only 1% of the support. However, he quickly rose to second place, behind Andrew Cuomo, albeit with a significant 25% gap. The gap eventually narrowed to 8% and then 2%. And as of yesterday, June 11, Zohran has taken the top spot, surpassing Andrew Cuomo by 3 percentage points in support.
Zohran Mamdani's campaign has gained momentum, particularly among young voters, thanks to his consistency and unwavering stand on truth, peace and justice. In addition to his commitment to empower the working class with his proposals like taxing the rich, freezing rent, and providing free city buses. His unique approach has garnered significant attention and support, potentially paving the way for a historic upset in the New York City mayoral election.
Certainly the role of the Muslim community is crucially important. What's being emphasized here is the urgency of the Muslim community's involvement in supporting and electing Zohran Mamdani. There are over 1 million Muslims in New York City, with 200,000 to 300,000 registered voters. Unfortunately, in the last election, only 7% of registered Muslim voters exercised their right to vote.
This low voter turnout might be due to past experiences where non-Muslim candidates would seek Muslim votes but forget about the community after winning. However, this time is different, as Zohran Mamdani is a member of our community with high popularity, capacity, and integrity. Given his current standing in the surveys, if the Muslim community doesn't wholeheartedly support him, it would be a missed opportunity that will never return.
I therefore call upon all members of the Muslim New Yorkers to unite, support and vote for Zohran Mamdani in this election; June 24th. Together and united, we can make a history in the city we are all proud of!
Manhattan, 12 Juni 2025
A proud New Yorker