New York City's incoming mayor, Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has thrown his support behind a far-left candidate for the New York State Assembly.
This candidate, Aber Kawas, has previously stated that the 9/11 attacks were a result of America's "system of capitalism," "racism," "white supremacy," and "Islamophobia."
Mamdani's endorsement of Kawas, a Palestinian activist, was announced at a DSA meeting on Wednesday. According to The Washington Free Beacon, this marks Mamdani's initial venture into local politics following his electoral victory. The endorsement has sparked controversy, as Mamdani did not back Kawas's primary opponent, a Spanish-speaking candidate with strong connections to the Queens district, which is predominantly Hispanic.
Kawas, who earned a master's degree in "Islamic Liberation Theology" from a South African university and relocated to the district last year, made the controversial remarks about 9/11 during a 2017 panel discussion. She stated, "the system of capitalism and racism, and white supremacy, et cetera, have all, and Islamophobia, have all been used, you know, to colonize lands, right, to take resources from other people, and so this is, like, a long trajectory. And we're just seeing the manifestations of that continuation, right, with 9/11."
She continued, "Historically, right, you know, a lot of us come from lands that were colonized, lands where wars are being waged, right, and a lot of times because of U.S. policy or the policies in Europe," Kawas said, criticizing those who demand a response to an "attack."
"The idea that we have to apologize for, like, a terror attack that, like, a couple people did, and then there is no apologies or reparations for genocides and for slavery, um, et cetera, is something that I kind of find, like, reprehensible," she added.
Mamdani's connections to extremists do not end with Kawas. Hassaan Chaudhary, a key member of Mamdani's transition team, has reportedly used the term "Jew" as a slur, praised former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his inflammatory comments about Israel, and referred to the Jewish state as a "bloody country." Despite these allegations, the transition team has not indicated any intention to dismiss Chaudhary.
Mamdani's election has raised concerns among Jewish New Yorkers. During his campaign, he expressed support for the anti-Semitic phrase "globalize the intifada," which advocates for violence against Jews and the State of Israel. The U.S. Holocaust Museum condemned Mamdani's use of the phrase in June, stating, "Since 1987 Jews have been attacked and murdered under its banner. All leaders must condemn its use and the abuse of history." Despite this, Mamdani later campaigned alongside a radical imam who once called for "jihad" in New York City and vowed to arrest Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Joe Stanton, an adviser to Kawas, celebrated Mamdani's victory and stated that opposing the "Israeli lobby" is a central aspect of Kawas's campaign. "We have to actually run a Palestinian Arab in this race because we need to draw the fire of the Israeli lobby, and we have to beat them," Stanton said at the Wednesday DSA meeting. "We did it with Zohran, and people have started realizing that they don't run things."
This series of events underscores the growing influence of far-left ideologies within the Democratic party, particularly in New York City, and raises questions about the potential impact on the city's diverse communities and its relationship with the global Jewish community.
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