US Vice President JD Vance has drawn sharp criticism after making a snarky remark about Democratic leader Zohran Mamdani’s comments on the discrimination faced by Muslims in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
Responding to Mamdani’s statement that his aunt stopped taking the subway after the attacks because she felt unsafe wearing a hijab, Vance said, “According to Mamdani, the real victim of 9/11 was his auntie who got some (allegedly) bad looks.”
Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, had made the remarks while speaking outside a Bronx mosque, surrounded by Muslim community leaders. He spoke about the “indignities” faced by Muslim New Yorkers and the continuing prejudice they experience.
“I want to speak to the memory of my aunt, who stopped taking the subway after September 11 because she did not feel safe in her hijab,” Mamdani said. He added that when he first entered politics, he was advised to conceal his faith. “These are lessons that so many Muslim New Yorkers have been taught,” he said. “And over these last few days, these lessons have become the closing messages of Andrew Cuomo, Curtis Sliwa, and Eric Adams.”
Mamdani is running against Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo in the New York mayoral race. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams has chosen not to seek re-election.
Throughout the campaign, Mamdani’s rivals have frequently labelled him a radical, but Democrats allege that the rhetoric has increasingly taken on an Islamophobic tone.
In a recent radio appearance, Cuomo was heard laughing when a host suggested Mamdani would “be cheering” another 9/11-style attack. Cuomo’s spokesperson later clarified that he did not share the host’s views, according to the Associated Press.
Mayor Eric Adams, in a separate statement, remarked, “New York can’t be Europe. You see what’s playing out in other countries because of Islamic extremism.” Meanwhile, Sliwa accused Mamdani of supporting “global jihad.”
Defending himself against the escalating attacks, Mamdani said his dream was for every Muslim to be treated like any other New Yorker. “For too long we have been told to ask for less and to be satisfied with whatever little we receive. No more,” he declared.
He also revealed that he had initially tried to downplay his Muslim identity during the campaign. “I thought that if I behaved well enough or bit my tongue in the face of racist, baseless attacks, it would allow me to be seen as more than just my faith,” he said. “I was wrong. No amount of redirection is ever enough.”
Reaffirming his resolve, Mamdani concluded, “I will not change who I am or the faith that I’m proud to call my own. But there is one thing I will change, I will no longer look for myself in the shadows. I will find myself in the light.”
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