Latest news with #Duwaji
Express Tribune
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani swipes right on love
New York State Assemblymember and mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has revealed that he met his wife, Rama Duwaji, through the dating app Hinge. The couple married earlier this year in a quiet civil ceremony. Mamdani, 33, shared in interviews that their relationship began during the pandemic after they matched on the app. After several months of conversation, the two eventually met in person and continued building a relationship offline. Duwaji, a Syrian-born artist based in Brooklyn, is known for her illustration work that explores themes like migration, identity, and resistance. Her art has appeared in several independent and mainstream outlets, though she maintains a low public profile. Their story has gained attention not only because of Mamdani's growing political profile, but because of how relatable it is. In a city where dating apps are often met with skepticism, the couple's connection offers a rare example of a meaningful match in the digital age. Mamdani currently represents Astoria in the State Assembly and is considered one of the most prominent voices in New York's progressive political scene. If elected, he would be the city's first Muslim mayor. Both Mamdani and Duwaji are children of immigrants and active members of New York's cultural and activist communities. Their relationship, while largely private, reflects the evolving nature of modern connection in public life. When asked about the experience, Mamdani offered simple advice to fellow app users: 'You just have to give people more time.' As his campaign gains traction, their understated love story continues to resonate — quietly defying expectations, one swipe at a time.
New York Post
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Socialist NYC mayoral contender Zohran Mamdani secretly tied the knot in exotic Dubai ceremony, photos show
He said 'I Do-bai.' Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani secretly held a engagement and wedding ceremony in Dubai with his seldom-seen wife, Rama Duwaji, The Post has learned. Mamdani, 33, and Duwaji threw the under-the-radar United Arab Emirates bash Dec. 22, 2024 on the stunning rooftop of Vida Creek Harbour, which boasts views of the Burj Khalifa, according to Instagram posts by florist LMF Dubai. The pair held an engagement and a Nikkah — an Islamic religious ceremony in which a couple signs a marriage contract — during the gathering, the posts state. Wedding packages for the venue run a socialist-friendly $72 per person, with a minimum food and beverage spend of roughly $2,700. 'Before their civil ceremony in New York City, Zohran and his wife celebrated their engagement in Dubai last year—where her family lives—with a small, joyful ceremony surrounded by their loved ones,' the Mamdani campaign said in a statement. 4 Mayoral contender Zohran Kwame Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji held an under-the-radar wedding celebration in Dubai. Instagram/Le Marché des Fleurs 4 Wedding packages at the Vida Creek Harbour start at $2,700. Instagram/Le Marché des Fleurs 4 A florist posted photos of Mamdani's and Duwaji's celebration. Instagram/Le Marché des Fleurs Mandani — after The Post asked questions Monday about the Dubai ceremony and a backlash on X — shared a post on Instagram asking New Yorkers to focus on him, rather than his wife. 'Three months ago, I married the love of my life, Rama, at the City Clerk's office. Now, right-wing trolls are trying to make this race—which should be about you—about her,' he wrote. 'Rama isn't just my wife, she's an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms. You can critique my views, but not my family.' The Queens state Assembly member has risen to second place in the crowded Democratic mayor primary race to replace Eric Adams, behind former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. His unapologetic socialist stance has raised eyebrows, especially given his privileged background as the son of filmmaker Mira Nair, who directed the award-winning 2001 film 'Monsoon Wedding,' and Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani. The brood lived in a stylish apartment complex along tony Riverside Drive owned by Columbia University, benefiting off the Ivy League's property tax exemption that Mamdani has proposed eliminating. While Mamdani enthusiastically wants to share the wealth, he is slightly less generous about divulging details on his recent marriage and Duwaji. He did slip to Interview Magazine that he 'got married in a civil ceremony at the clerk's office,' calling it his favorite building in New York. 'The outside is just so beautiful and reminiscent of a different New York City, and the inside is in many ways public goods personified,' he said. 'All of these New Yorkers getting married at the same time at different ages and at different times in their lives, it's very beautiful.' 4 Duwaji is an arist. Instagram/Rama Duwaji Duwaji is a Syrian artist centered in Brooklyn, whose illustrations have appeared in The New Yorker, Washington Post and VICE. She received her Master of Fine Arts in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts, which charges about $29,000 a semester. In an interview with YUNG, Duwaji said she spent the majority of the coronavirus pandemic with her family in Dubai.
