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(NewsNation) — In the final stretch of the New York mayoral campaign, Zohran Mamdani released a video, now seen millions of times, that addresses Muslim New Yorkers and condemns the mistreatment he says they receive in America’s largest and most prominent city.
“I want to use this moment to speak to the Muslims of the city,” Mamdani began the video. “I want to speak to the Muslim city worker, whether they teach in our schools or walk the beat for the NYPD.”
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“Growing up in the shadow of 9/11, I have known what it means to live with an undercurrent of suspicion,” Mamdani said. “I will always remember the disdain I faced, the way my name could immediately become ‘Muhammad,’ and how I could return to my city only to be asked in a double-mirrored room at the airport if I had any plan of attacking it.”
“I’ve sought to be the candidate fighting for everyday New Yorkers, not simply the Muslim candidate,” the 33-year-old New York assemblyman continued.
“I’ve carried these indignities with me each moment of this race, doing so all the while as the first major Muslim candidate for mayor in New York City history. I thought that if I could build a campaign of universality, I could define myself as the leader I aspire to be, one representing every New Yorker, no matter their skin color or religion,” Mamdani said. “I was wrong.”
Mamdani condemned Islamophobia and said anti-Muslim sentiment had become endemic in New York City, perpetrated by Republicans and Democrats alike.
Zohran Mamdani, New York City mayoral candidate, center right, Letitia James, New York’s attorney general, second left, and Brad Lander, New York City comptroller, left, carry a banner across the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, US, on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (Photographer: Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Zohran Mamdani vowed to be true to his Muslim identity
Mamdani vowed to be open about his faith and true to his Muslim identity.
“I will not change who I am. I will not change how I eat. I will not change the faith that I am proud to belong to. But there is one thing I will change. I will no longer look for myself in the shadows. I will find myself in the light,” he said.
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Reaction to the speech was mixed.
On X, @CityDeskNYC said, “Mamdani’s crocodile tears over Islamophobia don’t erase his record of mocking Hanukkah, exploiting Black identity for personal gain, or aligning with groups that cheer ‘globalize the intifada.’”
Others praised Mamdani’s candor. “This is the most beautiful political ad I have ever seen in my entire life,” wrote a commentator.
New York Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks during a press conference on October 29, 2025 in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Zohran Mamdani was born and raised in Uganda
Zohran Mamdani was born and raised in Kampala, Uganda. His family moved to New York City when he was 7 years old. He attended New York City public schools and is a naturalized American citizen. His father, Mahmood Mamdani, a political commentator and professor, was born in India but grew up in Uganda and is a Muslim. His mother, Mira Nair, is an Indian American filmmaker who is a Hindu, according to Forbes.
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Mamdani, a democratic socialist, is the front-runner in the race. He is running against former governor Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent, and Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels, who is running as a Republican.
