'Civilised people don't...': Zohran Mamdani's eating habit faces fire as deportation calls from GOP intensifies

Time of India

8 hours ago

— RepBrandonGill (@RepBrandonGill)
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At a time when Zohran Mamdani , the newly minted face of New York City's progressive wave, is facing calls for deportation from Republicans, he is also at the center of a culture war. An interview of the Democratic socialist has gone viral on social media where spoke about eating with his hands, a practice he said connects him to his roots. 'I have to eat with my hand,' he said. 'In Uganda, we even eat salad with our hands.'The clip drew fierce criticism and a racially charged response from Republican Congressman Brandon Gill , who reposted it on X with a sneering caption: 'Civilised people in America don't eat like this. If you refuse to adopt Western customs, go back to the Third World.'On Sunday, a clip showing Mamdani eating with his hands went viral on social media, with some Republicans questioning whether his upbringing in Uganda and South Africa shaped his understanding of the Palestinian struggle.Recorded in 2023 during an interview with Uncivilised Media, the video shows him saying, "When you grow up as someone, especially in the Third World, you have a very different understanding of the Palestinian struggle. It is one that is framed in terms of empathy and solidarity."Brandon Gill's response sparked a massive fury online and he was brutally criticised by the social media users for his "racist" commentary on New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. The internet was quick to lash out at the congressman, from grilling him to digging up the family photos of his Indian-origin wife.Many users were quick enough to point out that Gill is married to Danielle D'Souza, the Indian-origin daughter of right-wing commentator Dinesh D'Souza. The internet users also dug out old pictures of Gill and his Indian-origin father-in-law eating with their hands, slamming him for attacking the Democrat on cultural lines. Replying to Gill's post, an X user asked, "How do you eat tacos, french fries, burgers etc? Do you eat Lays with a fork too?"Another user posted pictures of Gill's father-in-law, Dinesh D'Souza, eating with his hands and wrote, "Hello Civilised person from America. Here's your father-in-law Dinesh D'Souza 'eating like this'."A user also posted a picture of Gill himself enjoying a pizza and a hot dog and wrote, "We need to send you back first then." "How do you eat hamburgers, pizza, hot dogs, tacos, burritos, fried chicken, french fries, onion rings, and chicken wings ya racist ***? Ugly," a user wrote.A British-American journalist posted a family photo of Brandon Gill with his Indian-origin wife Danielle D'Souza Gill and her father Dinesh D'Souza."Brandon Gill's father-in-law Dinesh D'Souza was born and raised in India and has definitely eaten with his hands. Is he going to ask his father-in-law to leave the US too?" he asked.Another picture is going viral on the internet, that shows Brandon Gill's in-laws sitting in a restaurant and posing for a photo. It shows food kept in front of them and pieces of what looks like a 'naan' in their hands."If you're gonna be a giant racist douche against Indians, don't go marrying an Indian," a post that shared the picture said, slamming Brandon Gill.Trump supporter and "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) activist Laura Loomer also criticised Mamdani's eating video, and wrote: "Honestly, being an Islamist and a Communist was enough for me to not want @ZohranKMamdani in office. He is from Africa. And you can tell in the way he eats. Disgusting. My dogs are cleaner and more civilised when they eat than little Muhammad.""@ZohranKMamdani eats his food and licks his fingers with his right hand. We already know what he does with the left hand as a "third worlder". You don't want to shake either hand," Loomer added calling the New York leader a rich, nepo baby.Gill's wife, Danielle D'Souza Gill, however, supported his remarks, saying she always uses cutlery while having food.Taking to X, she wrote, "I did not grow up eating rice with my hands and have always used a fork. I was born in America. I'm a Christian MAGA patriot. My father's extended family lives in India and they are also Christian and they use forks too. Thank you for your attention to this matter."Zohram Mamdani's surprising victory against Andrew Cuomo in the NYC Democratic primary made him the prime target of Republicans, with many calling for his deportation. Trump has also threatened to cut federal funds for New York if Mamdani does not toe the line after becoming the mayor.Mamdani recently defeated former governor Andrew Cuomo in New York City's mayoral primary. If Zohran Mamdani wins, he would be New York's first Muslim mayor.