Zohran Mamdani may become the first South Asian and Indian-origin mayor of New York City if he wins the general election in November.
However, he has also faced public criticism in India and among its diaspora due to the same identity that has made him a political trailblazer in the United States
Since Mamdani won the Democratic mayoral primary handily on June 24, his campaign has been inundated with hate speech, some of it from the Hindu right.
The attacks, according to experts, are a manifestation of the tensions that have developed between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s followers and those who oppose the violations of human rights that he has presided over, especially those that target religious minorities.
The subject of several of those attacks has been Mamdani’s faith: The 33-year-old is a Muslim.
The mayoral candidate has been called a “jihadi” and “Islamist” by certain commenters. He has been labeled anti-Indian and anti-Hindu by others.
According to Kayla Bassett, director of research at the Washington-based think tank Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH), the attacks against Mamdani are part of a larger campaign against the Muslim community.
“This is about more than one person,” she stated. “The goal is to spread a narrative that portrays Muslims as fundamentally suspicious or un-American.”
Backlash from BJP:
In November, Mamdani will be up against more seasoned political figures. In the final vote, he is anticipated to challenge incumbent Mayor Eric Adams. Additionally, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, his opponent in the Democratic primary, has not yet ruled out running on his own.
The candidate for mayor has publicly condemned violations of human rights, particularly those in India and Gaza.
He has drawn criticism for that outspoken position from both domestic and foreign opponents.
Some have criticized Mamdani’s comments and questioned his suitability for the mayorship, including members of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
For instance, Kangana Ranaut, a BJP member of parliament, said on social media that Mamdani “sounds more Pakistani than Indian.”
She referred to his mother, director Mira Nair, who is Hindu, and said, “Whatever happened to his Hindu identity or bloodline?” “He is now prepared to eradicate Hinduism.”
Aaj Tak, a well-known pro-BJP news channel in India, also ran a program shortly after Mamdani’s primary victory asserting that he had received funds from groups that advance a “anti-India” agenda.
Additionally, it issued a warning about the increasing number of Muslims in New York City, supporting this claim with images of hijabi-wearing women.
However, some of the criticism has come from domestic sources.
Indian Americans for Cuomo, an organization located in New Jersey, paid $3,570 for a plane to display a banner that said, “Save NYC from Global Intifada,” over the city. Dismiss Mamdani.
Source: Al Jazeera and other media outlets
