Zohran Mamdani: Is New York About to Get a Shiite Muslim-Communist Mayor?

By Philip C. Johnson – June 26, 2025

Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblyman, stunned New York by clinching the Democratic mayoral primary on June 24, 2025, defeating Andrew Cuomo 43% to 36%. If he wins in November, he’d be New York City’s first Muslim mayor, a historic milestone for a city with 1 million Muslims. But his victory has polarized voters, with supporters celebrating his “affordability agenda” and critics, like Donald Trump, branding him a “100% Communist Lunatic.” His Shia Twelver faith and radical policies, from state-owned grocery stores to pro-intifada rants, draw chilling comparisons to Muslim mayors in the UK, raising alarms about Islamic influence in Western cities. Let’s dive in.

A Socialist with Communist Leanings?

Born in Uganda to Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair and scholar Mahmood Mamdani, Zohran, a Democratic Socialist of America (DSA) member, ousted a four-term incumbent in 2020 to join the State Assembly. His campaign, backed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, raised $17 million with 46,000 volunteers, leveraging TikTok to pitch free buses, universal childcare, rent freezes, and city-owned grocery stores. These aim to tackle New York’s affordability crisis, where one in four residents lives in poverty. Who will pay for all this? Tax the rich, of course – the very people who can afford to (and will) leave America’s largest, and once greatest, city.

Critics see Marxist echoes. Charlie Kirk tweeted, “The Muslim socialist running for NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani is so obviously a conman the only people dumb enough to support him are college-educated.” An Emerson College poll backs this, showing Mamdani led Cuomo among college-educated voters, 62% to 38%. Kirk also called him “Muhammad Mao.” New Yorkers might want to brace for Soviet-style bread lines.

Anti-Israel Rhetoric: Intifada and Netanyahu

Mamdani’s anti-Israel stance is disturbing, to say the least. He’s called Israel’s Gaza actions “genocide,” supports Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS), and refused a 2025 Assembly resolution celebrating Israel’s founding, citing its “right-wing government.” His defense of “globalize the intifada” on a Bulwark podcast, likening it to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, is beyond the pale. The U.S. Holocaust Museum tweeted, “Exploiting the Museum and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising to sanitize ‘globalize the intifada’ is outrageous and especially offensive to survivors. Since 1987 Jews have been attacked and murdered under its banner.”

He’s also vowed to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits New York, citing an ICC warrant, though he lacks such authority. The US isn’t a signatory to the ICC – so whatever. Mamdani insists he’s not antisemitic, pledging an 800% increase in anti-hate crime funding, but his stance alarms New York’s 1.3 million Jews. And why wouldn’t it?

Shia Twelver Faith: Mahdi and Chaos?

Mamdani, a practicing Shia Twelver Muslim, follows a sect believing in twelve Imams, with the Mahdi, the twelfth, in hiding until his return to bring justice. The Hudson Institute notes Twelver eschatology expects global chaos to precede the Mahdi’s return. And just to connect a few dots: The chaos-causing, radical Iranian Islamic government shares these beliefs. No public statements tie Mamdani’s faith to his policies, and he’s discreet about his Shia identity, focusing on Communist-adjacent issues. I find no comfort in that.

Muslim Mayors: NYC vs. UK

Mamdani’s potential as New York’s first Muslim mayor, running America’s largest city mirrors the UK, where a mere 3.9 million Muslims (6.5% of 67 million) have seized mayoral roles in major cities, including London, the UK’s largest. Sadiq Khan, London’s Muslim mayor since 2016, leads alongside Muslim mayors in Luton (Mohammed Yaqub Hanif), Oldham (Zahid Chauhan), Oxford (Lubna Arshad), and Blackburn (Parwaiz Akhtar), per the X accounts, Full Fact and Islam Channel. This takeover by a small minority alarms anyone who sees the clash between Western civilization and Islamic ideology. 

The UK grapples with serious issues from its urban Muslim populations. Grooming gangs in Rochdale and Rotherham, where Pakistani Muslim men exploited thousands of girls, saw police inaction due to cultural sensitivities, per the BBC and The Guardian. The UK has 1,850 mosques and 30–85 Sharia councils, according to Muslims in Britain and the Home Office. These councils, handling marriage and divorce, operate as parallel legal systems, with a 2018 Home Office review flagging discrimination. X user @OffgridIreland warned, “2,000+ mosques and Sharia councils show Islam’s growing influence.” Many, per Pew Research, are uneasy with this trend, fearing Western values are eroding in cities like Birmingham (30% Muslim).

Trump’s Take and Public Divide

Donald Trump slammed Mamdani on Truth Social: “The Democrats have crossed the line by elevating a 100% Communist Lunatic. He looks TERRIBLE, his voice is grating, he’s not very smart, he’s got AOC+3, Dummies ALL, backing him.” Laura Loomer warned, “A Muslim Communist will be mayor. Get out while you can.”

Supporters, especially young and Muslim voters, see hope. Wajahat Ali tweeted, “A Muslim son of immigrants might become mayor… a beautiful American story.” That proves the huge chasm between what America was, what it is, and what it might become. America’s Founding Fathers wouldn’t call this a “beautiful American story” but a threat to a nation built on Judeo-Christian values.

What’s Next?

Mamdani faces Republican Curtis Sliwa and independent Eric Adams, with Cuomo possibly running independently. With Democrats dominant, he’s favored to win, but his socialist and pro-intifada policies risk backlash. Mamdani declared, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Whether that’s vision or overreach, November will decide. America’s largest city hangs in the balance.