Zohran Mamdani gets emotional while talking about being a Muslim running for NYC mayor
The Queens assemblyman teared up as he talked about what it's like to be a Muslim running for mayor while in a dispute over his support for Palestinian nationalism.
Read more: How and when to vote early in NYC mayoral primary election
"I get threats on my life and on the people that I love"
Mamdani walked down a Harlem street with former mayoral candidate Maya Wiley to announce her support for his campaign. However, the endorsement was quickly overshadowed by questions about comments Mamdani made on a podcast in which Jewish groups say he was equating the Holocaust with intifada.
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the "intifada" as "uprising, rebellion," and, specifically, "an armed uprising of Palestinians against Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip." It is derived from Arabic, where the dictionary says it means literally "the act of shaking off."
In response to reporters' questions, Mamdani said being a Muslim seeking New York City's highest elected office has taken its toll on his private life. If he wins, he'd become the first person of that faith to hold the office.
"I get messages that say things like the only good Muslim is a dead Muslim. I get threats on my life and on the people that I love and I try not to talk about it," Mamdani said.
On the podcast, Mamdani was asked if the terms "globalize intifada" and "from the river to the sea" made him uncomfortable.
"The very word has been used by the Holocaust museum when translating the Warsaw ghetto uprising," Mamdani said. "What I hear in so many is a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights."
Criticism of Mamdani quickly followed
The U.S. Holocaust Museum reacted to Mamdani, saying, "Exploiting the museum and the Warsaw ghetto uprising to sanitize 'globalize the intifada' is outrageous."
Rabbi Marc Schneier called it, "a direct insult to survivors and the hundreds of thousands of Jewish New Yorkers who are the relatives of loved ones lost in the Shoah."
According to CBS News New York's political reporter Marcia Kramer, Jewish voters are concerned that Mamdani's refusal to support Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's team wants to exploit that.
Read more: How NYC's ranked choice voting works for the mayoral primary election
Most polls show Cuomo and Mamdani locked in what appears to be a two-way battle, with Cuomo as the frontrunner. So each candidate is trying to mobilize votes in any way they can.
Cuomo said that at a time of rising antisemitism, "We know all too well that words matter. They fuel hate. They fuel murder."
And with polls showing the race tightening, Mamdani insisted he is intent on bringing everyone in the city together.
"Antisemitism is such a real issue in the city, and it has been hard to see it weaponized by candidates," Mamdani said.
The primary uses ranked-choice voting, with voters choosing up to five candidates in order of preference. The most recent Marist poll shows Cuomo as being the first choice pick with 40% of Jewish Democratic primary voters, compared to Mamdani's 20%.
Final push on to get as many votes as possible
Mamdani is clearly proud of being endorsed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Those endorsements may be helping to get younger voters to the polls. Voters under the age of 44 account for 45% of the people who have so far cast ballots during early voting, Kramer reported.
Early voting is currently underway. Primary Day is set for Tuesday.
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