New Yorks Democratic leadership is once again under scrutiny from the right, this time over Gov. Kathy Hochuls decision to don a hijab during a visit to a New York City Islamic institution, a move RedState characterizes as emblematic of a party that stands for nothing and will fall for anything.
According to the RedState opinion writer, Democrats who once styled themselves as champions of female liberation are now kowtow[ing] to an Islamist ideology that infamously oppresses women. The author argues that Hochul is merely the latest example, accusing her of submit[ting] to Muslim men by indulging their preference that women cover their heads when going out in society.
The incident in question occurred when Hochul appeared at an event linked to New York City Assemblyman Zohran Mamdanis circle and, as reported by RedState, readily jettisoned her feminist garb and adopted the Muslim one to impress an audience of New York City Zohran Mamdani's friends. Video circulated online under the caption, Feminist icon NY Governor Hochul just put on a hijab for Muslim men, amplifying conservative criticism that the governors gesture was less about respect and more about political theater.
In the clip highlighted by RedState, Hochul can be heard saying, I want to thank his excellency Mr. (Ambassador Tareq) Albanai. I want to thank him for (inaudible) be part of the family, to our imam, and the other executives who are a part of this organization. The Islamic Center of New York publicized her visit, and the RedState author notes that the hijab, in this context, is a symbol of a woman's humility and obedience before Allah, framing Hochuls choice as a symbolic surrender of Western norms.
The writer contends that the abandonment of Western values to signal obeisance to Islamists was striking, and social media posts embedded in the RedState piece mock Hochuls priorities. One viral comment, quoted by RedState, sneers at her record on core governance issues: Lower taxes? Safer streets? Better schools? Best I can do is a hijab. Another critic, cited by the outlet, asks rhetorically, Does she know that even as a mayor, she is a 2nd class citizen to them? They probably aren't even listening to her...
RedState situates Hochuls appearance within a broader historical and ideological context, arguing that New York forgot hard lessons from the post-9/11 era. The article recalls an interview with then-imam Sheik Muhammad Gemeaha of the Islamic Cultural Center of New York City, who, as quoted from contemporaneous reporting, claimed that only the Jews were capable of destroying the World Trade Center and further asserted that if it became known to the American people, they would have done to Jews what Hitler did.
Against that backdrop, the author portrays Hochuls outreach to Jewish communities as hollow and politically expedient. The governor, RedState notes, recently pledged to increase security for synagogues and Jewish communities across the state ahead of the High Holidays, during remarks she delivered at Shabbat services at the Central Synagogue in Manhattan. This promise followed an incident in which, as the piece recounts, an unhinged antisemitic man, named Larry Montes, broke into a synagogue and attacked two people, underscoring real security concerns even as Democrats, in the authors view, cozy up to Islamist elements.
According to RedState, rising antisemitism and an embrace of Islam are coming hand-in-hand in the modern Democrat Party, even at the expense of any credible pretense of championing women's rights and defending gay rights. The writer links this trend to what is described as the radical lefts manipulation of anti-bigotry, arguing that this guiding principle of modern Democrats is being used to persuade people to adopt illiberal worldviews like Islam.
Hochuls latest appearance is not an isolated episode, the article stresses, but part of a pattern. Now, this isn't the first time that Kathy Hochul has donned a headscarf to appease Muslims, the author writes, pointing to prior footage in which Kathy Hochul wears a head dress as she panders to Muslims and talks about the Quran in New York, and another clip where New York Governor, Kathy Hochul, was spotted wearing a hijab yesterday wtf!? One commentator, quoted by RedState, even quips, Kathy Hochul owns more hijabs than most Muslim women.
The piece broadens its critique beyond Hochul to the national Democratic establishment, asserting that the Democrat Party is obsessed with optics. As reported by RedState, if there is anything that it has stood for, it's opposition to Donald Trump, and indeed, America itself, a sweeping indictment that casts symbolic gestures like wearing a hijab as part of a larger rejection of traditional American values and identity.
RedState cautions readers not be so quick to dismiss New York Gov. Hochul's adoption of a hijab as a mere case of political pandering, suggesting instead that it reflects a deeper ideological alignment. The article notes that the Democrat Party has gone out of its way to virtue-signal on behalf of Islamists, listing Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Minnesota Lt. Gov. Penny Flanagan as prominent Democrats who have all embraced the head covering.
For the author, the through-line is the lefts relentless pursuit of control. If there is anything that the modern left supports, it's political power, RedState asserts, arguing that symbolic deference to Islamist norms is toleratedor even encouragedso long as it helps consolidate a progressive coalition. The piece points to figures such as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed as examples of Islamist politicians being embraced by radical Democrats, and closes with a pointed challenge: we have to ask ourselves if there is any principle they won't sell out in order to get it.
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