In the Wake of the New York City Mayoral Primary, Muslims and Jews Stand Together Against Hate

Last week, New York State Assemblyman Zohran K. Mamdani won the Democratic nomination to become the New York City mayor. Despite his professed claims to the contrary and his repeated commitment to working with Jewish communities in New York, critics are accusing Mamdani of antisemitism and attacking him with a tremendous amount of anti-Muslim hate.

Why is this happening? Many of Mamdani’s critics are accusing him of antisemitism because of his commitment to certain policy positions about Israel and Palestine, even though Jews across the city have a diversity of views on those issues. One of the most inspiring examples of this interfaith partnership has been through Mamdani’s relationship with New York City Comptroller and fellow mayoral candidate, Brad Lander. Though they disagree on some key issues, including on U.S. foreign policy towards Israel and Palestine, both Mamdani and Lander have worked to oppose antisemitism and advance other shared priorities.

Yet as this media firestorm is happening, Mamdani has been attacked with vicious examples of anti-Muslim hate, including by leading members of Congress and across New York. These attacks have affected Mamdani’s family, his friends and have even been against his life. Some of these attacks include hateful captions next to a picture of the Statue of Liberty in a burqa, the suggestion that Muslims will start “committing jihad all over New York” and that his election would lead to another 9/11, and calls to revoke his citizenship. Though it’s receiving more attention in recent weeks, these attacks show how anti-Muslim bigotry has been normalized as an acceptable part of public discourse—for those of us who work in advocacy, it remains one of the most urgent issues in this current political climate.

As Interfaith Alliance President and CEO Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush said in our official statement, “The blatant Islamophobia that we are seeing from some Members of Congress and other extreme voices is grotesque, unacceptable and deeply dangerous. We cannot pretend for a minute that it is normal to see a political candidate threatened with violent attack and deportation simply because he is a Muslim.”

Too often, these acts of hate work to divide Muslim and Jewish communities by pitting them against one another. By weaponizing the real concerns of antisemitism by Jewish New Yorkers, they want to attack and demonize the first Muslim mayoral candidate of a major political party in New York. Over the past few years, there has been a demonstrated increase in hate crimes against Jews with a nearly 63% increase between 2022 and 2023.

As Jewish communities continue to take these threats seriously, no one is helped by mistaking combating antisemitism with the targeting of Muslims. It is essential to push back on hatred and to continue the important work of building a thriving and inclusive democracy.

That is why I’m proud to work at Interfaith Alliance where we advocate against all forms of hatred. Through our work as a founding member of the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign, an inspiring initiative that takes on anti-Muslim bigotry, and our work speaking out loudly and unequivocally against antisemitism, we make sure to take on hate-based violence in all of its forms.

As Brad Lander explained, “I understand why Jews feel anxious right now in the wake of D.C, and Boulder, but we have a responsibility to stand up against Islamophobia and call it out. When we say the safety and thriving of Jews and Muslims is bound up together, it is just patently true.” Let us oppose these anti-Muslim attacks and continue the important work of building an inclusive and fair democracy for all.

‍The views and beliefs expressed in this post and all Interfaith Alliance blogs are those held by the author of each respective piece. Nothing in this blog post is an endorsement of any political candidate. To learn more about the organizational views, policies, and positions of Interfaith Alliance on any issues, please contact info@interfaithalliance.org.

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