House Democratic hopeful Brad Lander delivered a message of solidarity at a Queens mosque whose longtime spiritual leader has repeatedly minimized and distorted the Holocaust.
According to The Washington Free Beacon, Lander, a former New York City comptroller now mounting an aggressive primary challenge against Rep. Dan Goldman in New Yorks 10th Congressional District, used his May 15 appearance at the Al-Khoei Islamic Center in Jamaica, Queens, to align himself with the far-left flank of his party. He pledged to work closely with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs Squad and even joined the congregation in Arabic chants, underscoring his bid to court the progressive, anti-Israel base that has grown increasingly influential in New York politics.
In Congress, I will not vote for any more U.S. military aid to Israel, not the bombs that are destroying the hospitals and schools in Gaza, not the occupation in Lebanon, Lander told worshippers during his remarks. He went on to accuse Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and claimed its actions in Lebanon were also on its way, potentially, to being a genocide, rhetoric that mirrors the talking points of the Democratic Partys most radical elements and ignores the complexities of Israels defensive war against Hamas and other terror proxies.
Landerwho is backed by New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani (D.)has made opposition to Israel a central plank of his campaign against Goldman, a staunch supporter of the U.S.-Israel alliance. The kind of partnership I developed with Zohran, I hope to come to have with Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, he said, explicitly tying his candidacy to two of Congresss most outspoken anti-Israel voices.
Lander also chanted in Arabic for the congregation, a gesture that drew fresh scrutiny once the broader context of the event became public. Later in the same service, an unnamed imam called for the death of infidels, raising uncomfortable questions about why a Jewish candidate would choose that venue to launch some of his harshest attacks on the Jewish state.
The verse Lander recited was an Arabic-language denunciation of the Christian doctrine of the divinity of Jesus Christ. Jewish candidates for office normally show more respect for the majority faith in this country, Atlantic writer David Frum posted to X on Thursday. His criticism highlighted not only the theological implications of Landers performance, but also the broader cultural and political message sent when a would-be member of Congress adopts sectarian rhetoric that disparages core Christian beliefs.
A new Emerson College poll shows Lander leading Goldman by 37 points among primary voters, powered by overwhelming support from young, heavily Brooklyn-based progressives who previously helped elect Mamdani. Lander has relentlessly attacked Goldmans pro-Israel voting record, and his foray into Queenswell outside the district he seeks to representgave him yet another stage from which to vilify the Jewish state and burnish his credentials with the activist left.
The Lander campaign did not respond to a request for comment, leaving voters to interpret his silence as tacit approval of the mosques record and the rhetoric heard there. Video of the appearance was first reported by the Middle East Media Research Institute on Thursday, just hours after a Washington Free Beacon investigation identified the mosques longtime spiritual leader as a Holocaust-denier.
In January 2006, Al-Khoei imam Sheikh Fadhel Al-Sahlani told the New York Sun that Jewish deaths in the Holocaust had been exaggerated. The numbers which have been mentioned are too much, Al-Sahlani told Sun reporter Russell Berman, adding, The numbers, the reasons, we have to study more.
In another interview in April 2006, Al-Sahlani claimed the Holocaust was done by the Zionists and voiced admiration for British Nazi apologist David Irving, then imprisoned in Austria on charges of Holocaust denial. The sheikhs revisionist narrative aligns with some of the worst propaganda of the far-right and Islamist extremists, yet it has not prevented prominent New York Democrats from cultivating ties with him.
The sheikh has also offered approving words for Hamass Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel, in which terrorists slaughtered civilians, including women, children, and the elderly. On Nov. 3, 2023, less than a month after the attack, Al-Sahlani praised the assault, saying, One movement can make a great change, and adding, What we are witness[ing] now [is] one movement from Hamas, it's [made] a big [difference] not only for the Arab Muslim world, but the whole world, the whole world, mashallah.
Mashallah can be loosely translated as Allah has willed it, a phrase that in this context amounts to religious endorsement of mass murder. Yet despite these statements, Al-Sahlani has remained a fixture in New Yorks political orbit, with progressive officials continuing to appear at his mosque.
Mamdani has long been chummy with Al-Sahlanivisiting the mosque at least three times since January 2025, records show. During his most recent visit in February, Mamdani joined Ramadan celebrations and told those assembled it feels like returning home to be here, signaling a level of comfort and familiarity that sits uneasily alongside the imams record of Holocaust denial and praise for Hamas.
In a statement to the Free Beacon, Mamdani declined to condemn the imam personally, but insisted he did not share his views. Sheikh Fadhel Al-Sahlani's Holocaust denial and comments about Hamas are diametrically opposed to the mayor's values and everything he has said and stood for, Mamdani spokesman Sam Raskin said, adding, Like many elected officials, the mayor has visited many houses of worship and religious institutions across New York City. No visit should ever be construed as an endorsement of every statement made by every individual affiliated with those institutions.
For voters concerned about rising antisemitism, the erosion of traditional American support for Israel, and the normalization of extremist rhetoric in mainstream politics, the episode raises stark questions about where the Democratic Party is headed. As Lander surges in the polls by courting the hard left and embracing figures tied to Holocaust denial and Hamas apologism, the race against Goldman has become a revealing test of whether New York Democrats will reward or reject this brand of radical, grievance-driven politics.
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