Why is New York’s Mamdani facing criticism for his response to attacks on his wife? | Gaza News

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is at the center of a political storm over his wife’s previous illustration work related to Palestine.

The imbroglio began last week, when several right-wing media outlets reported on New York City First Lady Rama Duwaji’s previous work involving Palestinian author Susan Abulhawa and several inflammatory comments Abulhawa had made.

But the response from Mamdani, who has since denounced Abulhawa’s past statements as “abhorrent,” has sparked backlash from some of his own supporters, who say it risks reinforcing harmful narratives that conflate support for Palestinians with anti-Jewish sentiment.

Some critics also say the situation underscores a broader double standard in the United States, one in which the first Muslim mayor of the country’s largest city faces increased scrutiny even as high-profile elected lawmakers launch blatantly Islamophobic attacks with little recourse.

Here’s what you should know:

What was the work in question?

Duwaji’s ties to Abulhawa were first reported by the conservative news site Washington Free Beacon last week.

It said Duwaji, a 28-year-old freelance illustrator, had provided an illustration for an “essay” compiled by Abulhawa as part of a collection by Gaza writers titled “Every Moment is a Life” published online by “Everything is Political.”

Abulhawa later clarified that the article was actually a short story written by a Gaza resident displaced during Israel’s genocidal war. Titled “A Trail of Soap,” it detailed the difficulties and indignities of using a makeshift public toilet in the war-torn enclave.

Mamdani said Duwaji had been commissioned by a third party and had never “engaged or met” Abulhawa, a claim Abulhawa later confirmed.

The Free Beacon report, as well as subsequent reports from the New York Post and Jewish Insider, highlighted previous comments made by Abulhawa.

Some critics have argued that a handful of Abulhawa’s publications appear to refer to all Jews, a position Abulhawa has rejected.

She has maintained that the statements are a reflection of the pain she felt as a Palestinian who traveled twice to Gaza to carry out humanitarian work during Israel’s genocidal war, which has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians since October 2023.

In an article published on The Electronic Intifada website, Abulhawa described the October 7, 2023 attacks on southern Israel by Palestinian fighters as a “spectacular moment that shocked the world.”

On social media, Abulhawa condemned what he called “Jewish supremacist slaughter” in Gaza and wrote: “these sons of satan will taste what they inflicted on us.”

He has condemned Israeli foreign influence, describing “Jewish supremacist demons” and “vampires” and, in one case, calling one commentator a “Jewish supremacist cockroach.”

How did Mamdani respond?

At a news conference last week, Mamdani said that, beyond the fact that Duwaji had never met Abulhawa, he had also never seen the social media posts in question.

“And we are in our administration, and I can tell you that our administration – which is separate from the first lady, she has no role within it – is against bigotry in all its forms… resolutely,” he told reporters.

“I think that rhetoric is patently unacceptable. I think it’s reprehensible,” he added, referring to Abulhawa’s posts.

What did Abulhawa say?

In a lengthy video statement released Saturday, Abulhawa said he hoped to set the record straight for “Mr. Mamdani, for his supporters and detractors alike, for journalists, for my readers, for my own friends and for the public at large.”

He rejected that his comments represented anti-Semitism or anti-Jewish racism, saying he was responding to a Zionist power structure and its defenders from the perspective of a Palestinian who has experienced the ravages of that system.

“Israel and, by extension, the Israelis (since, as we are constantly told, they are the only democracy in the region) have destroyed, destroyed and stripped my family of everything,” he said.

“They have committed genocide in full view of the world, the full extent of their blood and gore, their apocalyptic horror, their generational harm and their moral harm to all humanity,” he said.

Abulhawa further described (Palestinians’) “feelings of pain, rage, contempt or hatred, along with the powerlessness to make the suffering stop.”

He added that he would continue to use the “privilege of having a voice… to speak forcefully on behalf of those who are defenseless in the face of the hateful violence of the colonial state.”

Why has Mamdani been criticized?

Several commentators who in the past supported Mamdani questioned the mayor’s decision to address the reports, arguing that they only fueled false narratives.

Activist Shaiel Ben-Ephraim described Mamdani as “stupid for apologizing and explaining.”

“Nothing will be enough for the Zionists anyway,” he wrote. “Stay upright.”

Palestinian writer Mohammed El-Kurd highlighted Mamdani’s own account that the issue of Palestinian rights motivated him to enter politics and wrote that it was “just to make him keep his word.”

Craig Mokhiber, a former United Nations human rights official, also urged Mamdani to take a stand, adding that he should “forget what his aides are telling him.”

“Fear is not a solid basis for politics at this time in history,” he said in a post on X.

For her part, Abulhawa said she was not personally “angry” with Mamdani, but that the situation should be a learning experience.

“You have succumbed to forces that seek to attack you, your beautiful, talented wife, and they are clawing harder with every apology or concession you make,” he said.

“If you’re not careful, they’ll siphon your soul before you know it.”

What is the broader context?

Mamdani faced a wave of Islamophobia during his meteoric political victory last year. He has regularly been accused of anti-Jewish sentiment for condemning Israel’s policies and for describing its actions in Gaza as “genocide.” He has repeatedly said that he is a leader for “all New Yorkers.”

Mamdani has also alienated some of his supporters by saying during the campaign that he would “discourage” the term “globalizing the intifada,” in what some saw as a capitulation to those making unfounded claims against him.

Some critics have alleged a double standard in the intense scrutiny Mamdani has faced over his political views and his family’s peripheral connections.

That included recently answering questions about his wife’s “taste” for social media posts praising the Palestinian resistance following the October 7, 2023, attacks.

In turn, several lawmakers have seen little recourse for overtly Islamophobic posts about Mamdani.

Republican U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, for example, has faced little rebuke from his own party for repeatedly attacking Mamdani’s faith.

In a post on

“The enemy is within the gates,” Tuberville wrote.