By Enyichukwu Enemanna
New York’s mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani says he would further embrace his Muslim identity in the face of what he called “racist and baseless” attacks from his opponents.
Speaking outside a mosque on Friday, the Democratic candidate said it’s a decision he avoided at the beginning of his campaign but said it was time to step out of the shadows.
“To be Muslim in New York is to expect indignity. But indignity does not make us distinct. There are many New Yorkers who face it. It is the tolerance of that indignity that does”, Mamdani said as election gets underway.
Uganda-born Mamdani has faced backlash for his criticism of Israel and only received the endorsement of the Democrat’s House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on the eve of the polls opening.
Mamdani spectacularly won in the Democratic Party’s primary, forcing former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to run as an independent.
Cuomo and Mamdani’s other rival, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, have both stepped up their attacks on the democratic socialist as the election draws closer.
Cuomo joked that Mamdani would likely cheer another 9/11 attack on New York, while Sliwa falsely claimed he is a supporter of “global jihad.”
In the days leading up to the start of early voting, polls showed Mamdani leading Cuomo by double digits.
