Zohran Mamdani, a New York State Assembly member and mayoral candidate, who defeated Andrew Cuomo in in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary, delivered a powerful campaign speech, urging Muslim New Yorkers to actively participate in the upcoming election. Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic born in Uganda and a strong advocate for progressive causes, stressed community engagement.
Mamdani began by sharing his experiences as a Muslim in New York City, emphasizing the disrespect and discrimination faced by the community. “To be a good Muslim is to be a good person,” Mamdani said. “It is to help those in need and harm no one. And so many of you are the examples of that.”
“So many of you I met outside of a masjid giving out Iftar, giving out gifts, giving out food, giving out toys. Not asking who the person was that needed it, not asking why they needed it, but helping. Helping and helping and helping,” he continued.
Discrimination Against Muslims
Mamdani emphasized the discrimination faced by Muslims. “And yet I know that for too long to be a Muslim in this city is to face the kind of disrespect that would never be accepted. It is to be called a terrorist. It is to be told you do not belong,” he stated.
“And in this race they called me a monster, as if I am at the gates like a beast. I and my family have received death threats where people say that they will kill me. And many of them say it is because I am Muslim,” he revealed.
Mamdani criticized his opponent, Andrew Cuomo, for not visiting a single mosque during his tenure. “And it is not about the mosque. It is about the fact that if you do not believe Muslims are worthy of your time, you likely don’t believe we are worthy of your city. You likely don’t see us as being New Yorkers,” he asserted.
“And what we want is the same equality and respect that every other community deserves. But brothers and sisters in this city, in this country, you are not given equality and respect, you must win them,” Mamdani declared.
The Power of the Ballot
With a million Muslims in NYC and 200,000 registered as Democrats, Mamdani urged the community to vote. “In the last election, do you know how many of us voted? 7%. I will not blame anyone in our community for not voting. Because often it feels like there is not much to vote for,” he said.
“But tomorrow from 6 in the morning until 9 in the evening, we have an opportunity to win a city that all of us can afford. To follow the words of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, who instructed us to make things easier. Do not make them more difficult. Spread glad tidings,” Mamdani encouraged.
A Vision for the Future
Mamdani shared a personal story about his name being mispronounced by Cuomo. “And in this race, I had Andrew Cuomo mispronounce my name. Until finally I had enough. And I told him how to spell and say my name. It’s Mamdani. M-A-M-D-A-N-I,” he recalled.
“And I reminded him not just for me, but for all of us. For all of us who have had our names chewed up and spat out and sounding like nothing that was ever given to us. For all of us who were denied the basic dignity of being addressed by the name we were given,” Mamdani continued.
Mamdani concluded by urging the Muslim community to seize the opportunity to make their voices heard. “Because what it speaks to is an inability to understand that we too are New York. We too are New York City, we too have dreams, we too have struggles. And the least you can do is know our name when we fight for those dreams and live through those struggles,” he emphasized.
