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They mean that Mamdani is being taken seriously, and that he is feared.

The Islamophobic tactics used against Mamdani are not new, but their function is specific: they serve as a gatekeeping mechanism, policing who gets to be seen as a serious candidate

t the final mayoral debate held on June 12, Cuomo repeatedly mispronounced his opponent’s name, a familiar racialized slight for immigrants and people of color. Despite Cuomo’s defensive insistence that he was not “intentionally” doing it, mispronunciation isn’t neutral. It sends the message, “You don’t belong here.”It is a common microaggression:... See more

What works in New York may not work everywhere—the issues and people aren’t the same. But the point is that Mamdani acknowledged and spoke to the humanity of his prospective constituents, and did so with considerable discipline in staying on message. Throughout the campaign, when attacked, Mamdani seemed to respond by doubling down, not against his... See more

“What folks are saying to me is they almost can’t believe that what they experienced after 9/11,” Ms. Hanif said, “is somehow happening again in 2025.”

The accusation, Mr. Cuomo said, was a political tool that Mr. Mamdani was using to divide New Yorkers. “Islamophobia,” Mr. Cuomo said “is not real in this race.”

“What Zohran said publicly is what Muslims have been saying quietly to us for months,” Hassaan Chaudhary, director of Muslim engagement for the Mamdani campaign, said in an interview. “There’s a point where silence becomes complicity, and our communities were done being quiet.”

During a televised debate, Mr. Sliwa falsely accused Mr. Mamdani of supporting “global jihad.” In a radio interview, Mr. Cuomo chuckled as a conservative host on WABC said Mr. Mamdani would cheer another 9/11-style attack. And when the current mayor, Eric Adams recently endorsed Mr. Cuomo, he said the city risked falling into “Islamic extremism” as... See more

Mr Beydoun says that Muslims in the US are subject to structural Islamophobia – the travel ban and increased surveillance – as well as private discrimination, at work and school.

And that discrimination is becoming ever more overt.