Summary
A new political figure’s rise to New York City’s mayoralty marks a historic ideological shift, blending Marxist and Islamist elements within a broader progressive framework. His electoral success, supported by diverse communities including a segment of Jewish voters, reflects the growing normalization of radical leftist and anti-Zionist currents in mainstream urban politics. His campaign leveraged intersectional identity politics and multicultural fluency to appeal across ethnic and ideological lines while maintaining ties to far-left and pro-Palestinian activists.
This development symbolizes the fusion of “Red-Green” ideology—Marxist revolutionary and Islamist anti-Western currents—within U.S. politics, reminiscent of similar historical coalitions in Iran and Gaza. The administration’s stated priorities include decarceration, public ownership of key industries, and reshaping policing and housing systems, all signaling a departure from liberal democratic capitalism. For New York’s Jewish population, the convergence of anti-Zionist rhetoric with city governance raises concerns over antisemitism, security, and the erosion of traditional pluralist values.
Zohran Mamdani’s election as New York City’s 111th mayor holds far-reaching implications for the United States, Israel, and Western democracies. Mamdani won over a third of Jewish voters and just over a million New Yorkers as a progressive champion of economic affordability and social equity. However, New York’s first avowedly Marxist mayor’s associations and ideological positions warrant scrutiny. Incoming Mayor Mamdani represents a hybrid “Red-Green” political alignment, integrating far-left secular discourse with Islamist terminology and anti-Zionist positions. Mamdani has promoted the elimination of the Jewish state, aligning with Hamas and other Islamic militant groups’ objectives.
Mamdani’s victory mainstreams a radical, anti-capitalist ideological convergence with implications for New York’s longstanding liberal political, social, and economic structure as the epicenter of American finance and symbol of global economic power. It was this symbolism that motivated Al Qaeda’s Osama Bin Laden to decimate the World Trade Center, killing approximately three thousand people on September 11, 2001. Mamdani’s victory speech included a sharp rebuke and direct challenge to President Trump, a proud NYC resident and symbol of New York’s global capitalist power. The incoming mayor’s approach, emphasizing his Muslim ethnicity and focus on underserved New Yorkers, juxtaposes with the old New York elite.
Mamdani’s embrace of the “Red-Green” alliance—coalescing revolutionary Marxist ideology with Islamist movements—has historical precedents with documented outcomes. From Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, where avowed student Marxists and left-liberal anti-monarchists helped Ayatollah Khomeini seize power only to be subsequently purged, to Hamas’s transformation of Gaza into a theocratic territory following its 2006 electoral victory, this coalition has historically produced regimes that diverged from their initial liberation rhetoric.
Mamdani’s Intersectional Identity Strategy
Mamdani’s campaign successfully projected identity-based appeals to multiple constituencies. Born in Uganda to Indian parents, raised in South Africa, and politically active in Queens, Mamdani has a fluid, multi-cultural identity. His code-switching—adjusting communication styles for different audiences—was generally received positively as authentic cultural fluency. His campaign video in Levantine Arabic, referencing Palestinian knafeh pastry from Nablus with a Palestinian flag behind him, reflects targeted cultural messaging. His fluency in Hindi-Urdu, Bengali, Spanish, and Arabic enabled him to craft distinct messages for different communities while still addressing the broader electorate, including his Jewish supporters.
Mamdani’s communication patterns parallel those of other revolutionary figures. For example, PLO leader Yasser Arafat’s tactic of shifting political identities and language, presenting religious credentials to religious audiences, nationalist themes to secular audiences, and leftist solidarity to progressive groups. By positioning himself at the intersection of multiple identity categories, Mamdani’s campaign benefited from intersectionality discourse. Critics questioning his political associations were sometimes characterized as engaging in identity-based discrimination.
Mamdani’s political mentor, Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour, revealed his campaign strategy when she stated he “intentionally downplayed his pro-Palestine views during campaigns to appeal broadly,” noting that “none of the campaign was ever like ‘Free Palestine’… It just happens to be something that’s part of who he is.” Mamdani received approximately 33 percent of Jewish New Yorkers’ support despite founding his college’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, expressing support in a rap song for “the Holy Land Five” (individuals convicted of providing material support to Hamas), visiting a mosque whose imam Siraj Wahhaj has called for Israel’s elimination, and declining to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada”—which many interpret as advocating violence against Israelis and Jews globally.
Mamdani’s Political Networks
Mamdani’s political development evolved through connections to far-left and anti-Zionist activists and organizations. Linda Sarsour, known for her prominent role in organizing the Women’s March and her strong criticism of Israel, has served as a political advisor to Mamdani since at least 2017. She issued statements at a 2018 Islamic Society of North America conference calling for “dehumanizing Israelis” and has been active in BDS campaigns against Israel for years. She played a central role in his 2020 Assembly campaign and 2025 mayoral campaign, organizing volunteers and fundraising through Muslims for Progressives and the Muslim Democratic Club of New York. Sarsour stated that Mamdani received financial support from CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations), which various analysts have identified as having Muslim Brotherhood affiliations and connections to Hamas.
Mamdani has documented connections to individuals associated with Samidoun, a Palestinian prisoner solidarity network. The U.S. government designated Samidoun as a front organization for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), itself also designated as a terrorist organization. Multiple individuals in Mamdani’s network have documented ties to this ecosystem: one journalist who covered Mamdani’s campaigns raised funds for Samidoun and defended attacks on Israeli diplomatic facilities. Mamdani’s intern, Frances Hamed, participated in pro-Hamas rallies. Another individual encouraged young Muslims to prioritize activism over career advancement.
The most extreme of Mamdani’s associations is his documented relationship with Within Our Lifetime (WOL) and its founder, Palestinian-American activist Nerdeen Kiswani. WOL organizes anti-Zionist demonstrations throughout New York City, with Kiswani leading chants including “Globalize the Intifada” and “We don’t want no two states, we want all of it”—slogans that explicitly call for Israel’s elimination. Kiswani expressed admiration for PFLP hijacker Leila Khaled and hosted events featuring other individuals designated as terrorists. Mamdani appeared alongside Kiswani at a 2021 demonstration where he promoted BDS positions.
Kiswani publicly criticized Mayor-elect Mamdani for retaining NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, whom she characterizes as having “Zionist ties.” She called for accountability regarding NYPD-Israel security cooperation, a sentiment Mamdani echoed in a 2023 speech, stating “when the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it’s been laced by the IDF”—a narrative promoted by Jewish Voice for Peace that links American policing practices to Israeli security cooperation programs. Sarsour and Kiswani’s calls for “accountability” reinforce Mamdani’s political positioning: presenting a moderate face to win mainstream support while maintaining sufficient far-left credentials to mobilize his progressive base.
Campaign Affiliations
On November 3, one day before the election, a phone banking event for Mamdani’s mayoral campaign was organized by the New York City Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), featuring former UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. Corbyn has referred to Hamas members as his “friends” and visited a Tunisian cemetery where he laid a wreath at the grave of a terrorist who participated in the 1972 Munich massacre of Israeli Olympic athletes, accompanied by PFLP official Maher Al-Taher.
The Red-Green Alliance in Historical Context
Mamdani’s political positioning reflects deeper ideological patterns. Far-left revolutionary movements and Islamist political movements, though seemingly contradictory, both oppose Western liberalism, capitalism, and Zionism. The Muslim Brotherhood, founded by Hassan al-Banna in 1928, developed a comprehensive political strategy incorporating dawa (religious outreach), political organization, and jihad. Currently headquartered in Qatar, the Muslim Brotherhood has supported Hamas and other extremist Islamist groups. Qatar funds extensive media operations, including Al Jazeera and AJ+, investing hundreds of millions annually to produce content portraying Israel as an apartheid state. Qatar has also supported academic programs in the West that criticize Western institutions using leftist critique.
Western far-left activists inspired by 1960s New Left movements join with Islamists. Palestinian-American scholar Edward Said’s postcolonial theory cemented the alliance, painting Israel as an oppressor. Zohran Mamdani’s father, Mahmood Mamdani, was part of this academic environment. In 2004, he wrote that “suicide bombing needs to be understood as a feature of modern political violence rather than stigmatized as a mark of barbarism”—an academic contextualization of political violence that influenced his son’s political engagement.
For Western figures in this Red-Green alignment, such as Mamdani and Sarsour, intersectional coalition-building becomes a political tool. At the 2018 Islamic Society of North America conference, Sarsour advocated that conservative Muslims embrace intersectional political cooperation despite religious concerns, arguing that “oppressed and oppressor” frameworks justified collaborations even with LGBTQ organizations, explicitly stating this approach transcends “deen” (Islamic religious principles). This explains Mamdani’s participation in LGBT pride events alongside Sarsour and U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, despite homosexuality’s prohibition in Islamic law and its criminalization in Gaza. The Red-Green political alignment prioritizes revolutionary political objectives over traditional religious restrictions: LGBTQ+ activists serve as coalition partners in challenging Western frameworks and Israel, even though an Islamist governance model would likely restrict LGBTQ+ rights.
Terms commonly used by progressives, such as “decolonization,” “resistance,” and “liberation,” carry different meanings for different constituencies. To progressive audiences, they suggest civil rights and self-determination. Within the Red-Green ideological framework, they signify Israel’s elimination and implementation of governance structures incompatible with liberal democratic norms.
Policy Implications
Mamdani’s affiliation with the Democratic Socialists of America represents a distinct ideology from mainstream American liberalism. The DSA advocates for state ownership of major industries, supports prison abolition, and promotes “equity”—equality of outcomes rather than opportunity. Mamdani has championed “#DecarcerateNow,” calling for substantial changes to incarceration practices and ending enforcement of misdemeanor offenses, an approach whose implementation in certain California municipalities has correlated with increased quality-of-life violations, including public drug use, retail theft, and public disorder.
Initially advocating for reducing NYPD funding and characterizing police as “racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety,” Mamdani moderated his public messaging during the campaign. However, Sarsour’s statement about holding him “accountable” to restructuring the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group suggests more transformative policies may be pursued. His economic proposals, including municipally-owned grocery stores and fare-free public transit, represent a significant departure from market-based economic models. The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), which faces documented challenges including maintenance issues, lead paint concerns, and infrastructure problems, provides an example of potential outcomes from government-operated enterprises.
Implications for New York’s Jewish Community
For New York’s Jewish community, Mamdani’s mayoral election warrants attention. Mamdani assumes office with documented connections to anti-Israel activists, declining to condemn slogans calling for violence against Jews (“globalize the intifada”), and a political network committed to ending NYPD-Israel security cooperation and pressuring municipal adoption of BDS policies. Greater metropolitan New York hosts approximately two million Jews, the largest Jewish population outside Israel. The normalization of anti-Zionist discourse and policy at the municipal level may correlate with increased incidents of harassment, intimidation, and violence targeting Jewish New Yorkers.
Antisemitic incidents in New York City have increased in correlation with Israeli-Palestinian conflicts over the past decade. When anti-Israel demonstrations occur with intifada rhetoric, correlating incidents include vandalism of Jewish-owned businesses, assaults on visibly Jewish individuals, and increased security requirements for synagogues. With a mayor whose political network includes individuals and organizations supporting such demonstrations, concerns exist regarding the municipal government’s enforcement priorities when incidents can be characterized as political expression rather than targeted harassment.
Conclusion
Zohran Mamdani’s election as New York City mayor represents a turbulent sea change in American urban politics. His success demonstrates that Red-Green political alignment—the convergence of far-left Marxist ideology with Islamist anti-Western and anti-Zionist positions—can achieve electoral success in America’s largest city through strategic moderation during campaigns while maintaining far-left political commitments.
New York City now serves as a case study testing whether Red-Green ideological frameworks can transform American urban governance. For both Jewish New Yorkers and others who value liberal democratic governance and personal liberty, “Mamdanism” goes way beyond incremental progressive reform, embracing revolutionary change and challenging liberal democratic foundations. The question remains whether enough New Yorkers will assess these far-reaching implications before governance transformation becomes established, particularly as it affects the Jewish community and New York’s relationship with the Jewish state. The implications for American urban governance are too far-reaching to ignore.
The author thanks JCFA Senior Researcher Tirza Shorr for her help in preparing this article.
