‘Islamophobia is endemic,’ Mamdani says of Republicans’ push to deport him

Two US House Republicans are pushing the federal justice department to investigate the path to citizenship of Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate favored to win the 4 November election for New York City mayor.

Congressman Randy Fine of Florida and Andy Ogles of Tennessee – both staunch proponents of Donald Trump’s presidential administration – have been leading the push, which has been condemned by Democratic officials and Muslim civil rights groups as “racist and anti-Muslim”.

Fine in recent days demanded the federal government “review every naturalization of the past 30 years – starting with Mamdani”.

Fine told the New York Post: “I just think we need to take a hard look at how these folks became citizens, and if there is any fraud or any violation of the rules we need to denaturalize and deport.”

He continued: “I know that there’s a lot of us that are very, very concerned about the enemy within – people who have come to this country to become citizens, to destroy it.”

Meanwhile, since June, Ogles has pushed for a justice department investigation of Mamdani, with calls to deport him over claims that the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) to which Mamdani belongs are a communist organization that he didn’t disclose in his naturalization process.

A dual citizen of the US and Uganda, Mamdani has criticized the rhetoric aimed at him by Fine, Ogles and other Republicans by invoking the federal government shutdown which began on 1 October as well as his decisive victory in June’s New York City Democratic mayoral primary.

“In a moment where Americans across the country are deeply fearful of whether they can afford the basic dignities of life, be it healthcare, be it groceries, be it their rent, the focus of the Republican party is to try and denaturalize the Muslim guy that won the New York City Democratic primary with the most votes in our city’s history?” Mamdani told MSNBC’s The Weekend: Primetime on Saturday. “It just speaks to the fact that for the Republican party, the only agenda they really have on offer is that of cruelty and punishment.”

Mamdani also criticized his main mayoral opponent, Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of New York who resigned while facing an impeachment investigation over sexual harassment allegations in 2021. Cuomo, who is the preferred candidate of New York City native Trump, suggested on a radio talk show recently that Mamdani would cheer a terrorist attack like the ones that killed thousands on 11 September 2001.

“God forbid another 9/11,” Cuomo said. “Can you imagine Mamdani in the seat?”

The host, Sid Rosenberg replied, “He’d be cheering.”

Cuomo paused, laughed, and added, “That’s another problem.”

Cuomo tried to distance himself from the interview, claiming, “I can see where if you took it seriously, it was offensive.” Cuomo’s campaign has also received criticism for posting, then deleting, a racist AI generated video depicting “criminals for Zohran Mamdani”.

“I think Islamophobia is something that is endemic to politics across this country,” Mamdani added in the interview with MSNBC. “And we have seen it normalized. We have seen it accepted. And it has come to a point where to speak up about it is seen as if you are making it into an issue, whereas in fact you are naming that which already exists. And so much of this is driven from an unwillingness to recognize that Muslims belong here in the city.”