Zohran Mamdani and America

Zohran Mamdani’s triumph in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary on June 24 presents a striking paradox. Mamdani is 33, a Ugandan-born Shiite Muslim, and a Democratic Socialist who became a U.S. citizen only recently. His rise from Queens assemblyman to Democratic nominee for mayor of America’s largest city reflects both the brilliance of the American Dream and a troubling naïveté in American politics concerning the aspirations and agenda of political Islam. His victory invites a dual reflection: on America’s genius for fostering opportunity, and on whether New Yorkers, in their rush to embrace a Muslim mayor, are overlooking a potential civilizational risk.

Mamdani’s ascent is a testament to American exceptionalism. Born in Kampala, Uganda, to a prominent academic father and an Oscar-nominated filmmaker mother, he arrived in the United States at age seven. His journey—from immigrant to Bowdoin College graduate, foreclosure counselor, rap producer, and now potential mayor of New York—encapsulates the nation’s promise of upward mobility. Unlike many countries where birth, caste, or religion rigidly dictate opportunity, America’s insistence on meritocratic ethos and abundant resources—its universities, economic hubs, and political openness—allowed Mamdani to thrive. His campaign, fueled by 46,000 volunteers and $7 million in small donations, leveraged the country’s democratic infrastructure to outmaneuver political titan Andrew Cuomo. Endorsements from socialists such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, combined with viral videos in Urdu and Hindi, tapped into the city’s pluralistic energy—especially among New York’s one million Muslims and South Asian residents.

This is why America remains a beacon. Mamdani’s supporters hail him as a voice for working-class immigrants, proving that a Muslim can represent all New Yorkers. His platform—free buses, rent freezes, and city-owned grocery stores—targets the city’s affordability crisis and resonates with a diverse electorate. If elected on Nov. 4, Mamdani would become New York’s first Muslim, Asian, and millennial mayor—a historic milestone underscoring America’s ability to transcend barriers. For many on the left, this is phenomenal. Electing a Muslim mayor in a city devastated by 9/11 signals, for them, a rejection of bigotry and an affirmation of America’s capacity for renewal and tolerance. While this is undoubtedly an aspect of the genius of a nation that offers the American Dream to all, regardless of origin or faith, it also highlights the risk of ignoring Islam’s ideological challenge, let alone socialism and its crippling harms.

Mamdani’s victory raises concern among those who view Islam as a threat to Western civilization. Twenty-four years ago, on Sept. 11, 2001, 19 Muslim terrorists—driven by devotion to Islam—killed nearly 3,000 people in New York City, believing they were serving Allah and Muhammad. The attacks, orchestrated by al-Qaeda, were not merely acts of terror but an assault on the core values of the West—freedom and pluralism. In this light, the election of a Muslim mayor, particularly a Shiite Muslim with a socialist platform, is an uninformed embrace of the very ideology that once fueled such tragedy. While Mamdani condemns terrorism and has no apparent ties to extremism, his faith and outspoken views raise questions about whether New Yorkers are overlooking Islam’s broader ideological implications.

Islam is not merely a religion, but a totalizing worldview with political and legal dimensions that often clash with Western liberalism. As Samuel P. Huntington argued, Islam’s emphasis on submission over individual autonomy, its historical resistance to secular governance, and its concept of the umma—the global community of believers—can elevate religious identity over national loyalty. Mamdani’s Shiite identity, rooted in Twelverism’s messianic vision of Imam al-Mahdi’s return, heightens these concerns for some. His defenders counter that such fears are unwarranted, pointing to his secular policy platform. Yet, electing a Shiite Muslim mayor may still contribute to normalizing an ideology that, in its political dimension, fundamentally rejects Western values. Elections have consequences and it’s not ever prudent to play with Islamism. This concern is significantly amplified by Mamdani’s socialist leanings—tax hikes, public ownership, and wealth redistribution—which many view as antithetical to the American individualism that underpins the nation’s success.

The right approach is not to reflexively oppose Mamdani, but to critically engage with his worldview. His American journey deserves respect, but his social and political ideas—especially his economic and foreign policy stances—must be examined. His platform should be scrutinized for its potential consequences, not simply accepted as progressive virtue. New Yorkers have become so occupied with race and inclusion that they appear to have lost their moral compass.

Mamdani’s victory reveals both America’s greatest strength and its deepest vulnerability. The nation’s genius lies in its ability to offer opportunity to all, transforming an immigrant into a political contender. But its naïveté lies in the failure to confront the ideological challenges posed by Islam, particularly in a city still healing from the trauma of 9/11.

Mamdani is not mayor yet. The general election remains ahead, and it offers New Yorkers a chance to test his ideas. With Eric Adams running as an independent and Cuomo possibly reentering the race, voters face real choices. They must weigh whether Mamdani’s Muslim religious identity and socialist ideals reflect a bold new chapter of the American Dream—or risk undermining the values that make that dream possible.