Zoran Mamdani Defends Faith Amid NYC Mayoral Campaign Attacks

Zohran Mamdani delivers remarks outside the Islamic Cultural Center of the Bronx in New York on October 24, 2025. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Zoran Mamdani, a Democratic candidate for Mayor of New York, spoke near a mosque on Friday and sharply criticized independent candidate Andrew Cuomo for laughing at the suggestion that Mamdani could support a terrorist attack.

“I will not change who I am, how I eat, or the faith I proudly call mine,” Mamdani, who is aiming to become the city’s first Muslim mayor, said.

In the crowd accompanying him, including women wearing hijabs, Mamdani broke down in tears, recalling family members who faced anti-Muslim prejudice after the September 11 attacks.

“I want to draw attention to the memory of my aunt who stopped using the subway after September 11 because she did not feel safe in a hijab,” Mamdani said, adding: “I want to reach out to Muslims who work in our city, whether they teach in our schools or patrol the streets for the NYPD.”

Key moments of the speech and campaign context

In the last days Cuomo has drawn attention to Mamdani’s religion and his immigrant background, trying to weaken him among voters concerned about his criticism of Israel and the possibility of confronting anti-Semitism.

On Thursday in an interview on Sid Rosenberg’s radio show Cuomo said: “God forbid, another 9/11. Can you imagine Mamdani in office?”

“He would be thrilled.”

He paused and laughed, adding: “That’s another problem”.

Also this week Cuomo’s campaign released an unfinished version of an advertisement created with the help of artificial intelligence, lampooning the 2023 interview with Mamdani, in which he eats rice with his hands and speaks about Palestinian rights, and contains images of criminals wearing keffiyehs and the Palestinian flag.

Cuomo’s spokesperson said the video was accidentally released and deleted five minutes later.

The discussion took place amid the week’s final general debate, during which Mamdani and Cuomo exchanged accusations of anti-Semitism and xenophobia.

“Are you the savior of the Jewish people? Won’t you condemn ‘globalizing an intifada,’ which means ‘killing Jews’.”

Mamdan i also criticized Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa for the proposal during the mid-debate that Mamdani allegedly praised “global jihad” – which Mamdani denies – and Mayor Eric Adams, who backed Cuomo, for hinting that Mamdani’s victory would bring Islamic extremism to New York.

“I don’t want to waste this moment on further conversations with them,” Mamdani said. “I want to use it to reach out to Muslims of New York.”

The setting of Mamdani’s speech was typical for New York: outside the mosque on a Bronx street, sirens blaring and planes overhead, and a barking dog could be heard during the remarks.

The dog’s owner, a local resident named Robert, said he supports Cuomo.

“Although my dog says the same as people,” he said.

Mamdani later went into the mosque to address worshippers. In a speech heard over a loudspeaker outside, he asked the audience to raise their hand if their names had ever been mispronounced. He called the days leading up to the November 4 election “our last opportunity to show ourselves… our dignity.”

As dozens of men were leaving the service, a few people stopped by Mamdani’s campaign table to register to vote.