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NBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- NBC News
Zohran Mamdani says mayors shouldn't 'police speech' when asked to condemn 'globalize the intifada' slogan
Zohran Mamdani, the presumptive Democratic nominee in New York City's mayoral race, on Sunday again sidestepped an opportunity to condemn the phrase "globalize the intifada," saying that mayors shouldn't "police speech." "That's not language that I use," Mamdani said when asked if he condemns the phrase, which is widely viewed by Jewish groups as offensive and anti-semitic, on NBC News' "Meet the Press." "The language that I use and the language that I will continue to use to lead the city is that which speaks clearly to my intent, which is an intent grounded in a belief in universal human rights." Mamdani added, "Ultimately, that's what is the foundation of so much of my politics, the belief that freedom and justice and safety are things that have meaning, have to be applied to all people, and that includes Israelis and Palestinians." In response to a second direct question from "Meet the Press" moderator Kristen Welker about whether he condemns the phrase, Mamdani said that he's hear from many Jewish New Yorkers who have shared their concerns about the phrase. "I've heard those fears, and I've had those conversations, and ultimately, they are part and parcel of why in my campaign, I've put forward a commitment to increase funding for anti-hate crime programming by 800%," Mamdani answered, once again demurring on the direct question about condemning the phrase. "I don't believe that the role of the mayor is to police speech," he added. Asked why it wouldn't be easier to just condemn the phrase, which many Jewish organizations have condemned and labeled anti-semitic, Mamdani told Welker, "My concern is, to start to walk down the line of language and making clear what language I believe is permissible or impermissible takes me into a place similar to that of the president." Mamdani pointed to several students, like Rumeysa Öztürk and Mahmoud Khalil, who were detained by the Trump administration earlier this year after they wrote or protested against Israel and in favor of those living in Gaza. "Ultimately, it's not language that I use, it's language I understand there are concerns about, and what I will do is showcase my vision for the city through my words and my actions," Mamdani added. Mamdani's refusal to condemn the phrase made headlines in the final days leading up to the Democratic mayoral primary. In an interview with The Bulwark posted on June 17, Mamdani was asked whether the phrase "globalize the intifada" made him uncomfortable. He responded, saying that it reflects, "a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights." In the same interview, he called the recent rise in anti-semitism 'a real issue in our city' that the next mayor should focus on "tackling." Jewish organizations and officials quickly spoke out against the phrase, with Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, writing in a post on X, "Globalize the Intifada is an explicit call for violence. Globalize the Intifada celebrates and glorifies savagery and terror. Globalize the Intifada dishonors the memory of 1,000s slaughtered, tens of 1,000s maimed, and millions traumatized who were targeted simply because of their identities. Globalize the Intifada is not just dangerous. It's an explicit incitement to violence." In a statement at the time, Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., who represents parts of New York City, blasted Mamdani, saying, "If Mr. Mamdani is unwilling to heed the request of major Jewish organizations to condemn this unquestionably antisemitic phrase, then he is unfit to lead a city with 1.3 million Jews — the largest Jewish population outside of Israel.' On Saturday, Goldman said in a subsequent statement that he had since met with Mamdani. "I explained why Jewish New Yorkers feel unsafe in the City and that, as he continues this campaign, he must not only condemn anti-Jewish hate and calls for violence, but make clear that as Mayor he would take proactive steps to protect all New Yorkers and make us secure," he said. 'I appreciate Zohran's willingness to reach out to me, to engage, and to listen, and I look forward to continuing the dialogue about our mutual desire to move this City in a positive direction," Goldman added. Mandani on Sunday also addressed President Donald Trump's comments this week, which included Trump calling the presumptive Democratic mayoral nominee a "communist." "I can't believe that's happening. That's a terrible thing for our country, by the way. He's a communist," Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday. "We're going to go to a communistic- so that's so bad for New York, but the rest of the country is revolting against it." On Sunday, Mamdani clarified that "I am not" a communist. " I have already had to start to get used to, get used to the fact that the president will talk about how I look, how I sound, where I'm from, who I am, ultimately, because he wants to distract from what I'm fighting for, and I'm fighting for the very working people that he ran a campaign to empower, that he has since then betrayed," Mamdani added.
Axios
4 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
Attacks on Muslims flood mainstream after Mamdani win
Zohran Mamdani's victory in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary triggered a wave of Islamophobic attacks — including from sitting members of Congress — that once might have disqualified the perpetrators from public office. Why it matters: Openly racist rhetoric has become normalized at the highest levels of American politics. Islamophobic and antisemitic incidents both reached an all-time high in 2024, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Anti-Defamation League, respectively. The mainstreaming of Islamophobic rhetoric in political discourse comes a decade after President Trump called for "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States" as part of his 2016 campaign. Driving the news: Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) urged the Justice Department to denaturalize and deport Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and became a U.S. citizen in 2018. Under federal law, denaturalization is an extreme measure typically reserved for cases involving fraud during the naturalization process. The other side: Mamdani, who would be the first Muslim mayor of New York, has spoken openly about the violent threats and hateful messages he's received throughout the campaign. He told MSNBC that he sees his victory as "an opportunity for me to introduce the fact that being Muslim is like being a member of any other faith." The big picture: The fractured media ecosystem — splintered into hyperpartisan echo chambers — has made the public shaming of racism less effective. Attacks that once would have drawn bipartisan outrage now circulate with impunity — especially on social media platforms, where hate can go viral. The baseless attempts to link Mamdani to Islamist terrorism could alarm some voters, especially amid rising antisemitism in a city that is home to the world's largest Jewish population outside of Israel. Yes, but: Some of Mamdani's loudest critics are already unpopular in New York, raising the possibility that their Islamophobic posts could backfire — and further galvanize his coalition into a history-making victory. Catch up quick: Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, defeated former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo by assembling a young, multiracial coalition in one of the nation's largest and most diverse cities. That coalition included progressive Jewish voters in Manhattan, college-educated liberals in Brooklyn's Park Slope and working-class communities in Queens. Mamdani, currently serving in the New York State Assembly, is of Indian ancestry. He was born in Uganda and moved to New York at age 7. After his victory, MAGA activists and Republican lawmakers took to social media to attack Mamdani's faith, heritage and left-wing politics. "Zohran 'little muhammad' Mamdani is an antisemitic, socialist, communist who will destroy the great City of New York. He needs to be DEPORTED," Ogles posted on X. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) posted an AI-generated image of the Statue of Liberty wearing a black burqa. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) tied Mamdani's victory to what she called America's "forgetting" of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. What they're saying: "Wow. Just wow," James Zogby, co-founder of the Arab American Institute, told Axios after reviewing the posts. Zogby said Islamophobia is becoming more brazen because "there are no repercussions." "We see the same Islamophobia from the same bigots anytime a Muslim runs for public office," said Basim Elkarra, executive director of CAIR Action, the political arm of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "Now it's been normalized." Zoom out: Since Sept. 11, 2001, Muslim and Arab Americans have periodically been the targets of racist and Islamophobic political campaigns. In 2005, then Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) suggested the U.S. could "take out" Islamic holy sites if attacked by radical Muslim terrorists. In 2010, the proposed Park51 Islamic community center in Lower Manhattan — branded the " Ground Zero Mosque" by activist Pamela Geller, founder of Stop the Islamization of America — became a national campaign flashpoint. Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (R-Mich.), who became the first two Muslim women elected to Congress in 2018, have faced years of Islamophobic attacks from Republicans and conservative media. State of play: Muslim Americans have built broader, multiethnic coalitions and political alliances in recent years. "I don't think [Islamophobia] is going to fly this time," Zogby said. Elkarra echoed that view, saying Mamdani's popularity could help him withstand the wave of attacks he's likely to face. There are currently an estimated 3 to 4 million Muslim Americans in the U.S. Between the lines: Days before the primary, Mamdani became embroiled in controversy for declining to condemn the phrase "globalize the intifada" during a podcast with The Bulwark. Mamdani, a longtime critic of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, said the phrase represented to him "a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights." The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) responded by urging all New York City candidates — without naming Mamdani — to "disassociate themselves from and avoid using language that plays into antisemitic tropes." Calls to "globalize the intifada," the ADL said, invoke a decades-old history of attacks on the Jewish people and amount to "an act of incitement that encourages violence against Jews." The bottom line: Mamdani has condemned antisemitism and promised to be a mayor for all New Yorkers — one who will be laser-focused on the city's affordability crisis.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Whoopi Goldberg Absent From 'The View' Amid Backlash For Comparing Black Americans And People In Iran
Whoopi Goldberg is absent from "The View" this week amid intense backlash for her controversial remarks about Iran. The Oscar winner's comments sparked harsh criticism from Iranian dissidents and social media users, who called the comparison offensive and inaccurate. Amid the uproar, Whoopi Goldberg appeared unfazed in a celebratory post from the Taobuk Festival, where she received an award for her book 'Bits and Pieces.' Goldberg is currently away from 'The View' as the daytime talk show gears up for its annual summer break. At the start of Monday's live episode, cohost Joy Behar filled viewers in on Goldberg's absence. 'We are all jealous of Whoopi today because she's in Italy — I hope it's 100 degrees,' Behar joked. "She's in Italy accepting an award for her book 'Bits and Pieces,' so she will be out this week." According to Entertainment Weekly, the Oscar-winning actress is expected to return to the show's roundtable on July 7, once the program resumes regular programming after its usual July 4th hiatus. During her time away, Behar will step into the moderator role, a position she routinely fills on Fridays when Goldberg typically takes the day off. Ana Navarro also joined the panel for Monday's discussion, alongside Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, and Alyssa Farah Griffin. Goldberg is known for her bold and controversial remarks and was once suspended from "The View" in 2022 for saying that the Holocaust was "not about race." Her comments at the time ignited a wave of backlash, which led to her subsequently issuing a statement, apologizing to Jewish people. It read, "I'm sorry for the hurt I have caused. As Jonathan Greenblatt from the Anti-Defamation League shared, 'The Holocaust was about the Nazi's systematic annihilation of the Jewish people — who they deemed to be an inferior race.' I stand corrected." The day after her apology statement, ABC News president, Kim Godwin, announced that Goldberg was suspended from "The View" for two weeks. The actress returned after her suspension and resumed her role by stating that the show would continue to have "tough conversations." Goldberg's recent absence from 'The View' comes on the heels of a fiery on-air exchange that stirred controversy online. The heated moment unfolded during Wednesday's episode when co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin condemned Iran's oppressive regime, citing the execution of LGBTQ+ individuals and the imprisonment of women who violate strict dress codes. However, Goldberg pushed back, making a provocative comparison between human rights abuses in Iran and violence against marginalized groups in the United States. 'We have been known in this country to tie gay folks to the car. Listen, I'm sorry. They used to just keep hanging black people,' Goldberg said. "It is the same.' Griffin strongly disagreed, emphasizing the extreme restrictions placed on Iranian citizens under Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. 'It is not even the same. I couldn't step foot wearing this outfit in Tehran right now," she pointed out, highlighting the dangers faced by Iranian women under the country's morality laws. Despite the pushback, Goldberg stood by her argument, "That's why I'm saying that it is the same," she insisted. "Murdering someone for their difference is not good, whoever does it. It's not good." When Griffin countered that the U.S. is not Iran, Goldberg replied, 'Not if you're Black.' Following her controversial comments comparing the Black American experience to life under Iran's oppressive regime, Goldberg got slammed by Iranian dissidents and social media users. Dr. Sheila Nazarian, an Iranian-born plastic surgeon who fled the country with her family in 1985 after her father was targeted by the regime, spoke out against Goldberg's remarks in an interview with Fox News Digital. "Whoopi Goldberg's comparison between being Black in America and living under Iran's authoritarian regime is deeply misguided and dismisses the brutal realities faced by millions of Iranians," she said. Netizens also took to social media to slam Goldberg following her controversial comment, with some even calling for her to be "fired" from "The View." However, Goldberg appears unbothered by the backlash as she shared a celebratory moment from Italy on Instagram. She posted a photo from the Taobuk Taormina International Book Festival, where she received an award for her book 'Bits and Pieces.' "Thank you (Grazie!) @taobukfestival for giving me a beautiful experience in an extraordinary environment, an honorable award, and your kindness," she wrote. "Books are so important to all the world."
NBC News
19-06-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani draws criticism for ‘intifada' remarks
Zohran Mamdani, a candidate in the Democratic primary for the New York City mayoral election, drew pushback from Jewish organizations and political leaders this week after he appeared to defend the slogan 'globalize the intifada.' In an interview with The Bulwark posted Tuesday, Mamdani was asked whether the expression made him uncomfortable. In response, Mamdani said the slogan captured 'a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights.' He said the U.S. Holocaust Museum had used the word 'intifada' in Arabic-language descriptions of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising against Nazi Germany. Mamdani, a progressive New York State Assemblyman who has forcefully criticized the Israeli government, also addressed the rise in antisemitism since the Oct. 7 terror attack and the war in Gaza, saying anti-Jewish prejudice was 'a real issue in our city' and one that the next mayor should focus on 'tackling.' He added that he believes the city's community safety offices should increase funding for anti-hate crime measures. In a post on X on Wednesday, the Washington-based U.S. Holocaust Museum sharply condemned Mamdani's remarks: 'Exploiting the Museum and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising to sanitize 'globalize the intifada' is outrageous and especially offensive to survivors. Since 1987 Jews have been attacked and murdered under its banner. All leaders must condemn its use and the abuse of history.' The U.S. Holocaust Museum did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how it had translated the Warsaw Uprising into Arabic. Jonathan Greenblatt, the chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, decried the phrase on X as an 'explicit incitement to violence.' Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., who is Jewish, said in a statement that the term 'intifada' is 'well understood to refer to the violence terror attacks against innocent Israeli civilians that occurred during the First and Second Intifadas.' 'If Mr. Mamdani is unwilling to heed the request of major Jewish organizations to condemn this unquestionably antisemitic phrase,' Goldman added, 'then he is unfit to lead a city with 1.3 million Jews — the largest Jewish population outside of Israel.' Mamdani has also faced criticism from some of the other candidates in the crowded Democratic primary field — including the frontrunner, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo's polling advantage has narrowed in recent weeks as Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, built momentum and nabbed a key endorsement from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. In a statement, Cuomo called on all the contenders in the race to 'denounce' Mamdani's comments and invoked recent violent attacks on Jewish people nationwide. 'At a time when we are seeing antisemitism on the rise and in fact witnessing once again violence against Jews resulting in their deaths in Washington, D.C. or their burning in Denver — we know all too well that words matter,' Cuomo said in part, referring to the killings of two Israeli Embassy employees and an attack on Israeli hostage advocates in Boulder. 'They fuel hate. They fuel murder.' The war in Gaza and the spike in antisemitism have loomed large over New York City's mayoral primary. Cuomo, 67, casts himself as a fierce defender of Israel and pitches himself to Jewish residents and ideological moderates as the obvious choice in the race. Mamdani, who has characterized Israel's conduct in Gaza as 'genocide,' gained traction partly thanks to enthusiastic support from the city's progressives. Mamdani, speaking to reporters at a press event in Harlem on Wednesday, addressed the outcry over his interview with The Bulwark and the ensuing pushback, saying in part that 'it pains me to be called an antisemite.' 'I've said at every opportunity that there is no room for antisemitism in this city, in this country. I've said that because that is something I personally believe,' Mamdani said. He broke down crying as he described the vitriol he has received as he seeks to become the first Muslim mayor of New York City. 'I get messages that say: 'The only good Muslim is a dead Muslim.' I get threats on my life, on the people that I love,' Mamdani said, eyes welling up with tears. New York City's Democratic mayoral primary is on June 24. The scandal-plagued incumbent mayor, Eric Adams, won election as a Democrat in 2021, but he is not participating in the party's nominating contest. He is reportedly petitioning to run on two independent ballot lines: 'EndAntiSemitism' and 'Safe&Affordable.'
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Time of India
Crowdfunding hate: Shiloh Hendrix raises $790K after racist slur on child; donors post Nazi symbols
Source- GiveSendGo Shiloh Hendrix, a white woman from Minnesota, who went viral after she was caught on camera using a racial slur sgainst a 5-year-old child at a park on 28 April, has received unexpected support—more than $790,000 in online donations. The money came through GiveSendGo, a platform known for hosting fundraisers linked to far-right causes. Her campaign drew over 30,000 supporters, many of whom left donation messages containing racial slurs and Nazi symbols. . In her fundraiser description, Hendrix wrote: 'My name is Shiloh and I have been put into a very dire situation. I recently had a kid steal from my 18-month-old son's diaper bag at a park. I called the kid out for what he was. Another man, whom we recently found out has had a history with law enforcement, proceeded to record me and follow me to my car. He then posted these videos online, which have caused my family and me great turmoil… My eldest child may not be going back to school. Even where I exercise has been exposed.' Woman captured in viral video hurling the N-word on a Minnesota playground In later posts, Hendrix thanked donors and said the fundraiser was life-changing. 'We have a wonderful support team on our side… We can now work on starting a new life. Amazing things can happen when like-minded individuals work together. We have proven just how powerful and great we are,' she wrote. Hendrix case reflects a wider shift in the US since Donald Trump's political rise. Such statements and the support that followed have alarmed critics. Between 2016 and 2022, extremist-linked campaigns on platforms like GiveSendGo raised more than $6 million, according to Anti-Defamation League. Mark Dwyer from the Anti-Defamation League said this kind of crowdfunding is no longer limited to organised far-right groups. It also attracts everyday people who may not see racism as a problem. 'They don't view what she did as wrong. For many, this might be the first action they take beyond posting on social media—donating money to show support,' The Guardian quoted Dwyer as saying. GiveSendGo has defended hosting the fundraiser, saying to The Guardian it supports 'personal choice' even in controversial cases. 'GiveSendGo is not a place of judgment but a place of generosity,' a spokesperson said.
