As Election Day Nears, Anti-Muslim Hate & Islamophobia Skyrocket

Zohran Mamdani's primary election win unleashed anti-Muslim hate—and as the General Election nears, that hate has gone into overdrive

The New York City Mayoral election is on November 4, and the coordinated Islamophobia machine that targeted Zohran Mamdani before and after his primary election win is now on steroids. If you thought the post-9/11 era or the 2011 “Shariah law scare” were the peak of anti-Muslim hysteria in America, I regret to inform you: we are sprinting past it. It is critical we stand united against these culture wars, or none of us are safe from the advancement of fascism. Let’s Address This.

Zohran Mamdani (Left) and Brad Lander (Center)

Trump Leads On Bigotry, Too Many Democrats Follow

You’ll recall after Mamdani’s primary win, Donald Trump wasted no time unleashing a bigoted tirade against Mamdani—a U.S. citizen, an elected official, and now soon to be New York City’s next mayor if projections hold.

Trump’s entire political career is built on white grievance and manufactured threats. His lackey Stephen Miller piled on with his own racist anti-immigrant tirade. Imagine saying the following about the city that literally has the Statue of Liberty calling on the world to send us its immigrants.

Speaker Johnson, and plenty of other Republicans are following suit. GOP racists led by Trump spent years on Obama birtherism conspiracies that he was born in Kenya, and therefore couldn’t be President. Now, MAGA racists are calling for Zohran Mamdani to be denaturalized and deported to Uganda, and therefore prevent him from becoming Mayor. The difference now is Trump is the President, and rather than increasing efforts to combat hate, establishment Democrats like Schumer and Gillibrand are complicit with their silence, or leading the charge in their hate like Cuomo.

For example, after holding out for months, Hakeem Jeffries finally endorsed Mamdani this week, in these final days of the campaign. However, Chuck Schumer still refuses to endorse Mamdani. And when asked whether he would vote for him, Schumer refused to answer and literally ran from the podium. Kirsten Gillibrand, who falsely and shamefully accused Mamdani of wanting to “wage global Jihad,” and refused to publicly retract her accusation, has refused to endorse Mamdani. Meanwhile, Eric Adams, who won four years ago as a Democrat, switched to Independent for his reelection bid, then dropped out of the race altogether for a suspected seven figure payday, has now endorsed 13 times credibly accused sexual abuser Andrew Cuomo.

Let’s be clear: Democrats will not defeat Trumpism by acting like Trump. You cannot denounce white supremacy at brunch and then endorse it at the ballot box. Islamophobia is not just a Republican problem—it is deeply embedded in bipartisan political strategy, media narratives, and donor influence.

Cuomo and Media Ramp Up the Hate

But while establishment Democrats have largely been complicit in their silence, former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo has pushed out anti-Muslim hate indistinguishable from the hate Trump espouses. The billionaires who bankrolled Cuomo’s failed comeback have since spent tens of millions to defeat Mamdani in the general. Mamdani rightly pointed out that these billionaires are spending more money attacking him than they would be taxed under his 2% tax for top earners. Corporate media is following suit—attacking him for daring to eat food with his hands, to referring to his father’s cousin as his aunt, and for taking his wife out to a nice dinner.

Honestly, what kind of a man takes his wife out for nice dinner? Or right, any decent human being.

Decency, something Cuomo seems to know nothing about. For example, last week Andrew Cuomo gave an interview where the host snarked “If another 9/11 happened, Mamdani would be cheering.” Cuomo responded not to denounce it, but laughed and added “that’s another problem.” Cuomo was once seen as a leader in the Democratic Party and potential presidential candidate. Now, while engaging in such horrific bigotry, he faces no meaningful denunciations whatsoever.

And the unholy alliances continue. The woman who launched “Hot Girls For Cuomo” is a MAGA extremist and close ally of Donald Trump. She’s also taking $7000 per post from the Israeli government to whitewash genocide. It should be a massive red flag for anyone who cares about our politics, that Cuomo has no problem accepting support from a staunch Trump ally. Thus, establishment Democrats who still won’t endorse Zohran Mamdani, the literal Democratic nominee for NYC Mayor, are telling everyone that they would rather have a Trump puppet and genocide apologist than the guy running on affordability getting record voter turnout.

Driving Hate Between Muslims and Jews

And perhaps most destructively, corporate media and Andrew Cuomo continue to try to drive a wedge between Muslims and Jews. Headlines like this from billionaire owned outlet Washington Post continue to dominate the corporate media narrative.

I find it beyond pathetic how literally none of the attacks on Mamdani are on his policies regarding affordability. (Because they know his policies work). Virtually all of the attacks are manufactured outrage because he dares believe there should be equality and not religious supremacy. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Islamophobia and antisemitism are two sides of the same putrid coin, and Muslims and Jews must continue to stand united against this hate.

The facts tell us that Muslims and Jews are in fact united for justice—perhaps that’s why Cuomo and corporate media are working overtime to drive a wedge. For example, Zohran Mamdani has a plurality of Jewish votes in New York City, he has the early endorsement of Comptroller Brad Ladner, the highest ranking Jewish official in New York City, he has the early endorsement of Congressman Jerry Nadler, who is Jewish and leads the largest Jewish constituency in Congress, and he has the endorsement of dozens of Jewish led organizations in New York City and nationally. But if all you did was watch corporate media, you would envision some type of holy war between Muslims and Jews.

It’s all built on a lie, and in fact, built on antisemitism and dehumanization of Muslims and Jews. We must reject this hate and leave it in the dustbin of history.

Conclusion

What we are witnessing is not just a campaign against Zohran Mamdani, it is a stress test for American democracy. It is a test of whether big money, billionaire propaganda machines, and bipartisan Islamophobia can overpower the will of a multiracial, multi-faith, working-class coalition demanding dignity, affordability, and accountability.

And here’s the truth: they are terrified. Terrified because Mamdani’s movement proves something profound—New Yorkers are choosing hope over fear, community over division, and justice over the politics of cruelty. They know that when a Muslim immigrant son from Uganda can win in the heart of America’s largest city, the old playbook of hate begins to crumble.

This moment demands clarity and our unity. Clarity that Islamophobia is not a fringe problem, and unity in rejecting it because it is a systemic tool of the powerful, weaponized to distract us from class warfare, austerity, and corporate control. The same machine fueling hatred of Muslims fuels antisemitism, anti-Blackness, xenophobia, and every effort to divide us while billionaires rob us blind.

The lesson here is simple: when we stand together, they cannot beat us.

So if you’re in New York City, or have family and friends in the Big Apple, vote for Zohran Mamdani for mayor and let’s start a new chapter of American politics. Because if an idea can make it in New York City, it can make it anywhere. And in this case, that idea is that the many can beat the money. It will live as a proven model of the power of collective action, even against one of the most powerful political dynasties in modern American history.

And finally, I invite you to continue to support my efforts to build a future rooted in dignity, equality, and shared humanity. Subscribe, share this message, and refuse to let corporate media define our neighbors or our future. Every voice matters. Every platform matters. Every time you stand up, you give courage to someone else to do the same. Let’s get to work.