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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
I Watched the Democrats Lose Muslim Support Last Election. This Gave Me Hope for 2026.
Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. In late May, I joined roughly two dozen Muslim entrepreneurs, community leaders, nonprofit organizers, and student activists around a very large table for a closed‑door strategy meeting with Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. There was no other press, no recording. Emgage Action, a leading Muslim American advocacy organization, welcomed me to observe on the condition that before I quoted anyone, I would first get their consent. We were there to discuss the role of Muslims in the Democratic Party. Many in the room had grown convinced that national Democratic leaders prefer the Muslims in their party to stay quiet and fall in line. In 2024 national party leaders all but ignored months of protests in support of Gaza, backed on-campus police crackdowns, then blamed 'disinformation' when Muslim and Arab American voters staged protest abstentions that helped tip Michigan, Minnesota, and key New Jersey counties to Donald Trump. Many in the room saw that sequence as Democrat leadership's agenda coming down to 'Please hold your nose,' and proof the party values Muslim turnout but not Muslim input. Baraka's counter‑thesis was simple: Fight for them, and they'll fight for you. It is the opposite of what Muslim organizers say they experienced from party leaders in 2024, the cycle Democrats lost to Donald Trump. When Baraka arrived in the room where we waited, it was just after 8 a.m. He was tieless, wearing a solid‑black dashiki, and he spoke softly at first, almost cautious. If anyone expected the fiery mayor who had dominated cable news earlier in the week—handcuffed by federal agents and hauled into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement jail—they found a calmer figure instead. Five days before this gathering, Baraka had joined three members of Congress at Delaney Hall, the recently reopened ICE detention center in Newark, the city he governs. They intended a surprise inspection. Video shows agents ordering them off the property; Baraka complied, stepping back onto the public sidewalk. They arrested him anyway. By that evening, supporters from civil‑rights and faith groups, including Muslim organizers, were rallying outside the detention center where he was being held. He was released that night; the trespass charge evaporated in court 10 days later. But even as the Department of Homeland Security dropped the charges against him, it brought new ones against Rep. LaMonica McIver, one of the lawmakers he had been with.* The whole thing had been a jarring experience, and Baraka has been blunt: 'It's just authoritarianism. … These people are committed to this foolishness. They're going to go as far as they can to not look completely ridiculous because what they did was wrong. They had no jurisdiction over there in the first place.' In that closed-door meeting, the questions posed to Baraka circled three themes: affordability, taxes, and Palestine. Two of those topics are par for the course, though the Newark mayor certainly has thoughts on them. On Palestine, Baraka had a real chance to differentiate himself from the rest of the Democratic party. When multiple attendees referenced student sanctions and job losses across industries in response to their stances on Gaza, Baraka replied that Muslims should be able to criticize U.S. or Israeli policy without being labeled unpatriotic or antisemitic. Throughout, he linked those answers to a wider critique of his own party. 'The leadership of the party has been pretty docile and comfortable and have completely isolated their base across the country.' His prescription was the opposite of caution. 'We can't move in a timid fashion. We have to move with force, with courage, with strength, and we have to move together.' The room nodded, but the primary electorate had a different answer when it came to the race for the Democratic candidate for New Jersey governor. Two weeks later Baraka lost decisively to Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a Navy pilot turned moderate whose campaign leaned on the county machines, saturated the suburbs with ads about property taxes, and avoided Gaza discourse almost entirely. Sherrill's pitch was electability: She promised to 'keep New Jersey blue' without scaring swing voters in Bergen and Monmouth. Baraka, who came in second, couldn't match her donor network and party support that still decides most downballot races. New Jersey is home to an estimated 320,000 Muslims, about 3.5 percent of residents. In 2021 Phil Murphy won reelection by roughly 85,000 votes. Despite those numbers, many of the Muslim community leaders I spoke to voiced their disapproval of how state and national strategists have long treated them as an afterthought—phoning in Eid greetings, skipping hard policy conversations, and assuming they'll continue to view the Democratic Party as their home regardless of outreach or collaboration. Baraka's strategy was different—he focused on reaching out to them. This, however, seemed to double as a flex to show the problem with complacency: If a bloc this large can be energized in an off-cycle primary, what could it do in a presidential year? Baraka spent one of his last days before the primary courting the population, and I tagged along. When I asked his main objective for the tour, he said he wanted to 'galvanize the Muslim community in New Jersey. If we do that, that will be good.' His theory was straightforward: turn a reliable but under-organized bloc into a decisive one and show national Democrats what they risk when they take that bloc for granted. Baraka's Muslim itinerary tracks almost perfectly with census clusters and past underperformance, like Paterson and North Brunswick. I followed Baraka north to Paterson, home to one of the nation's largest Palestinian communities. The visit was brief. He introduced himself as a candidate for governor in cafés on Main Street and took quick photos with voters. One man called out 'Barakah!'—pronouncing it like the Arabic word for 'blessing'—before snapping a selfie. Another passerby whispered, 'That's the guy Trump arrested.' Where party strategists in 2024 feared alienating moderates, Baraka has spent his state-wide campaign courting voters the party lost. Where operatives believed that Gaza activism endangered swing districts, Baraka has argued that silence costs more. Muslim organizers note that only a few statewide Democrats have held unrestricted Q&A's with them since last cycle. Baraka's willingness to do so anchors his appeal. Baraka's grassroots strategy lost—but it still netted 163,563 votes, enough to lift him surprisingly to second place and to carry New Jersey's most populous county, Essex. Those numbers didn't carry him past Sherrill, yet they did remind operatives that a bloc the size of New Jersey's Muslim population matters to the statewide margin. Now that the governor's race is over, Muslim leaders sound cautiously optimistic. They want movement—on surveillance reform, on ceasefire resolutions, on small-business aid—before they'll call this a realignment. But they also say the door is now open. If statewide Democrats walk through it before 2026, Baraka's unsuccessful bid could mark the start of a voter bloc returning to a party that once counted on it. If they don't, the silence of 2024 might echo again when the presidential race comes calling.
Middle East Eye
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Zohran Mamdani faces racist smears and calls for citizenship to be stripped
Zohran Mamdani is facing a barrage of racist attacks this week and a call by a Republican lawmaker for him to be stripped of his citizenship after his 24 June victory in the New York City primary election for mayor. The pro-Palestinian Democratic Socialist won the Democratic nomination for mayor with a clear majority after 93 percent of the votes were counted. Before his victory, he faced racist attacks from New York City councilwoman Vickie Paladino and Congressman Randy Fine, both from the Republican party, while after the win, Republican Andy Ogles called for Mamdani to be deported and denaturalised. In a post on X on 26 June, Ogles said: "Zohran 'little muhammad' Mamdani is an antisemitic, socialist, communist who will destroy the great City of New York. He needs to be DEPORTED. Which is why I am calling for him to be subject to denaturalization proceedings.' Ogles also attached a letter to attorney general Pam Bondi, accusing Mamdani of procuring his citizenship through 'willful mirepresentation or concealment of material support for terrorism'. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The comments drew condemnation from several of Ogle's colleagues, including Democratic Congressman Shri Thanedar and the House Homeland Security Committee Democrats, as well as Muslim American members of Congress. 'This type of racism has no place in America,' Thanedar said in a post on X on 26 June. 'This type of racism has no place in America. Immigrants make our country great, and I strongly condemn this blatant, anti-immigrant bigotry from Andy Ogles'. The House Homeland Security Committee Democrats referred to his comments in a 26 June post on X as 'Racist drivel.' Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib on Friday posted a statement on X from Muslim American members of Congress condemning Ogle's "anti-Muslim" attacks. "The vile, anti-Muslim and racists smears from our colleagues on both sides of the aisle attacking Zohran Mamdani cannot be met with silence," the statement read. The statement was signed on to by Tlaib, Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Lateefah Simon, and Congressman Andre Carson. Corey Saylor, research and advocacy director at the civil rights and advocacy organisation Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) told Middle East Eye that the attacks on Mamdani were part of an entrenched decades-long perspective on Muslims: 'The anti-Muslim bigotry that has erupted online in the wake of New York City's Democratic mayoral primary is as dishonest as it is dangerous." Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani fends off hate as he inspires New Yorkers Read More » He added that it was 'nothing new' to the American-Muslim community. 'The politicians, influencers and hate groups unleashing a wave of irrational Islamophobic talking points are weaponising the same tactics that have been used for decades to manipulate Americans into fearing any Muslims engaged in political life,' he added. 'Islamophobia is the last widely accepted form of bigotry in American political life, and this must change before it leads to more discrimination and threats of violence against American Muslims pursuing public office". But it wasn't just lawmakers who have been targeting Mamdani since his victory. Stephen Miller, the White House assistant chief of staff, who is frequently referred to as the architect behind Trump's immigration policies, alluded to Mamdani in a post on X on 25 June, saying that 'NYC is the clearest warning yet of what happens to a society when it fails to control migration'. Miller himself is the grandson of a Jewish immigrant who fled religious persecution from modern-day Belarus to the United States. Prior to his election success, Mamdani had already been the target of a smear campaign that painted him as an antisemite, funded to the tune of $25m by a Super PAC called "Fix the City". He even faced death threats, with his office receiving voicemails including a threat to blow up his car. Mamdani teared up when speaking of the impact of such attacks during his campaign, saying he had received a message saying, 'The only good Muslim is a dead Muslim'. Mamdani is an Indian-origin Muslim who moved from Uganda to New York City when he was seven years old and became a naturalised citizen in 2018.
Time of India
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'Let's stand with Zohran': Bernie Sanders, Muslim members of Congress call out racist attacks against Mamdani
Muslim members of Congress called out the anti-Muslim, racist attacks on Zohran Mamdani. Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and other Muslim American members of Congress extended support for Zohran Mamdani as he came under a vicious attack after emerging as the winner of the Democratic primary of the New York mayor election after Andrew Cuomo conceded the election. Mamdani has been called 'little Muhammad', 'snake oil salesman' as the Republicans called for his deportation. Apart from the Muslim American members of Congress, Bernie Sanders issued a statement of support for Mamdani. "The vile, anti-Muslim, and racist smears from our colleagues on both sides of the aisle attacking Zohran Mamdani cannot be met with silence," the statement issued by Tlaib, Omar, Andre Carson and Lateefah Simon read. "These hateful, Islamophobic, and racist tropes have become so entrenched and normalized in our politics. We know these attacks all too well. At a time of increased violence against elected officials, we cannot allow the attacks on Zohran Mamdani to continue. They directly contribute to the ongoing dehumanization and violence against Muslim Americans. We unequivocally reject the normalization of anti-Muslim hate and fearmongering and call on elected leaders across our country to speak out," the statement read. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like If you have a mouse, play this game for 1 minute Navy Quest Undo Bernie Sanders said the establishment went into panic after Mandani won. "Billionaires are raising money against him; Trump is ranting; Islamophobes are on the loose. They know what we know: Candidates who stand boldly with the working class can win not only in NYC, but anywhere. Let's stand with Zohran," Bernie Sanders said. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon threatened to investigate Zohran Mamdani over his proposal to tax 'whiter neighborhoods' in NYC if he becomes the mayor. 'Racial discrimination is illegal in the United States – period. Full stop! The illegal discriminatory scheme described by Mamdani would violate federal constitutional and statutory norms, and might even violate New York law," Dhillon said on the Benny Johnson show. NYC elites hatch 'Stop Mamdani' plan New York City business owners met with incumbent mayor Eric Adams to hatch a plot to stop Mamdani's rise. The plan was around Adams becoming an independent mayor candidate and not a Democrat. Several business owners expressed concern about Mamdani's policy platform, especially his tax policies, and how they could impact their businesses going forward. Whitney Tilson, a former hedge fund manager, told the NYT that Mamdani is a "Trojan Horse" who is 'totally unqualified to be mayor of one of the world's largest, most complex cities. "
Memri
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Memri
In Webinar Of Muslim Legal Fund Of America – Whose Chairman Is American Muslims For Palestine (AMP) Head Hatem Bazian – Attorneys Recommend 'Donating Internationally' To Bypass 'Smear Campaigns', 'Cri
During a February 20, 2025, Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA) webinar on HR 9495 and its impact on Muslim American nonprofit organizations, Diala Shamas, senior staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), said there have been "smear campaigns" accusing student organizations on U.S. campuses of being part of the "international propaganda arm" of Hamas. As a result, these student groups and their supporters risk being accused of providing material support for terrorism. Shamas called this theory "bananas." She expressed concern that under a Trump Department of Justice, there could be expanded criminal charges against pro-Palestinian groups, especially Muslim organizations, such as the Holy Land Foundation. She also discussed the designation of Samidoun as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) organization, and spoke about the legal risks nonprofits face depending on their focus. One example she gave was UNRWA USA, a CCR client that fundraises in the U.S. for UNRWA. Antonio Glenn, a Muslim attorney based in Texas, stated that many of the nonprofit organizations he works with are facing a "major concern" over accusations that they are providing material support to foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs). He differentiated between groups that focus on local American causes and those that fund overseas operations, noting that there is no FTO counterpart for those accused of supporting domestic terrorism. He said that there is a concerted effort to try and find "remedies and pathways through other nonprofit organizations that have encountered this situation, especially for foreign terrorist… or donating internationally, I should say," to continue supporting Muslim communities internationally. The Muslim Legal Fund of America (MFLA) is headed by Hatem Bazian, who is also Chair of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), co-founder of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), and a professor at UC Berkeley (see MEMRI TV clips nos. 12040, 12014, 11822, 11947). MFLA represented the Holy Land Foundation, which has been investigated for funneling funds to Hamas, and five of its members served prison sentences for their terror-linked activity. It also represented Al-Qaeda operative Aafia Siddiqui. MFLA has been praised by Rep. Ilhan Omar, Imam Yasir Qadhi, chairman of the Fiqh Council of North America, anti-Israel activist Linda Sarsour. Diala Shamas: "There has [been] some smear campaigns that all put out this narrative that campus organizing is part of Hamas's propaganda arm, so student organizations, student activists, are actually part of this Hamas international propaganda arm, and therefore, these student groups and those who support them in the U.S. are liable for material support for terrorism. So it's again, a bananas – to use non-legal terminology – theory, it's meritless, to use more legal terminology. [...] "We've seen it being used in the past, particularly against Muslim organizations, criminal cases have been brought against the Holy Land [Foundation] Five, and other people who are still serving sentences. What I am worried [about] is that under a Trump DOJ we'll see an expansion of that. It hasn't yet happened. The Biden administration has designated Specially Designated Global Terrorist, under the provisions that we heard about earlier, a Palestinian advocacy organization called Samidoun, has been designated this, so that might be an indicator of a place where we might see efforts expand. What happens is that you first designate groups, and then there are 501C3 implications, but there are also possible criminal implications. [...] "The risk profile looks really different from organization to organization. Your risk profile if you are sending money to Gaza looks very different from your risk profile if you are organizing on campuses it is very different from if you are a think-tank doing policy briefings, doing policy. [...] "UNRWA USA, our client, is a donor to UNRWA. They're basically fundraising in the U.S., they have donors to UNRWA USA, then [the money] goes... Resources then go to UNRWA. So they certainly are trying to go after what they talk about as the money flow." [...] Antonio Glenn: "In some of our nonprofits that we are speaking of now there is a major concern [over accusations] of material support for foreign terrorist organizations [FTO]. Black Lives Matter didn't get so implicated in that because there were no foreign overseas operations going on. So that was a huge distinction here. For the most part, what we learn in those cases, if your sources and advocacy are somewhat focused more locally, nationally, you may not be implicated as much or caught up, so to speak, in these situations. [...] "There is no really counterpart for domestic terrorism support as it is for this FTO, and bringing them material support. [...] "I think [we need] a little more research on how to do that. I think that is what we are doing now, trying to find the remedies and pathways through other nonprofit organizations that have encountered this situation, especially for foreign terrorist... or donating internationally, I should say, on that part. That we can continue moving forward in donating overseas and helping overseas brothers and sisters with funding without [suffering] these repercussions."
Newsweek
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Andrew Cuomo's Chances of Winning New York Mayoral Race
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has a strong chance of winning the New York mayor primary, latest betting odds show. Cuomo's odds of success stand at 82 percent while his nearest rival, Zohran Mamdani, is on 19 percent, according to Polymarket, at the time of publishing. Why It Matters Cuomo is standing in the primaries for New York City mayor, returning to public life after he resigned as New York Governor in 2021 amid the threat of impeachment over sexual misconduct allegations. Cuomo has always denied the accusations and no charges were ever brought against him. Whoever wins the Democratic primary will likely win the race, as New York City is reliably Democratic. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a Democratic mayoral primary debate, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in New York. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a Democratic mayoral primary debate, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in New York. AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool The election uses ranked-choice ballots, meaning voters select up to five candidates in order of preference. What To Know On Wednesday, nine Democratic candidates faced off in a two-hour debate. The latest odds measure how prospective voters responded to the debate. They show that Cuomo had a slight dip from his 84 percent odds of victory before the debate, but that overall the debate didn't affect voting behavior to a large extent. Polls have shown Cuomo has a strong lead in the run up to the election. A May Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey of 1,000 registered voters, found that 35 percent backed Cuomo on the first round of the ranked-choice ballot, while Mamdani was favored by 23 percent. According to a Marist Poll conducted between May 1 and 8 among 3,383 likely Democratic primary voters, Cuomo was the first choice of 37 percent of respondents, including those who were undecided but leaning toward a candidate. What People Are Saying William F. Hall, an adjunct professor of political science and business at Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri told Newsweek: "Several important factors, including the huge name recognition advantage and extensive political experience, coupled with the significant challenges that any Muslim candidate would face, including Mamdani as a Muslim American running for public office in a major American city populated with an extensive Jewish constituency and heavily sympathetic Jewish leaning political environment, the odds for his chances for success in the New York City Mayoral race, would appear to be extremely daunting and highly unlikely. "Despite several of Cuomo's negative issues that have blemished his career, on balance, there nonetheless still does appear to be a strong viable window for victory for Cuomo, because of the many positive successes he achieved while in public office in the past and especially, in light of the current difficulties experienced in the New York City's Mayors office, under the incumbent." Cuomo during the debate: "I know how to deal with Donald Trump because I've dealt with him before. We fought on a daily basis through COVID. And I won many of those battles ... So he can be beaten, but he has to know that he's up against an adversary who can actually beat him." Queens assemblyman and democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, during the debate: "The difference between myself and Andrew Cuomo is that my campaign is not funded by the very billionaires who put Donald Trump in D.C." What Happens Next The Democratic primary takes place on 24 June. The general mayoral election takes place on 4 November. Meanwhile, Cuomo is facing another legal issue as House Oversight Chair James Comer requested that the Department of Justice (DOJ) investigate and potentially prosecute him for allegedly lying to Congress about New York State's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in nursing homes. Cuomo's spokesperson Rich Azzopardi told Politico the claims were "nonsense," adding: "As the DOJ constantly reminds people, this kind of transparent attempt at election interference and lawfare violates their own policies."
