Latest news with #RamaDuwaji
Khaleej Times
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Watch: NYC mayor candidate Zohran Mamdani's rooftop Nikah in Dubai with Rama Duwaji
Zohran Mamdani, running for the position of New York Mayor, has been the talk of the town among Americans and non-Americans alike, catching much attention for his Indian heritage and being NYC's first Muslim mayor if elected. The democratic socialist also speaks to many in America who are hoping for a drop in living expenses, as Mamdani aims to "bring down the rent, create world class public transit, and make it easier to raise a family". As Mamdani runs his campaign, audiences are eagerly watching not just his political moves but also his family life. The family he came from, and the family he seeks to build. His parents are Mahmood Mamdani, colonialism and postcolonial studies professor at Columbia University of Gujarati Muslim descent and Mira Nair, an Indian-American filmmaker internationally acclaimed for her films like Monsoon Wedding and Salaam Bombay. Mamdani is also married to Rama Duwaji, a Syrian illustrator and animator based in Brooklyn, NYC. In a "garden romance" rooftop setting in Dubai Creek Harbour, the two got engaged in late 2024, and held a Nikkah ceremony. Dubai is home to Duwaji's family, according to the Mamdani campaign. This was before their marriage at a civil ceremony in the clerk's office at New York City, the Mamdani campaign added. Watch the video of the venue, which was turned into a floral sanctuary, here: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Le Marché des Fleurs (@lmf_dubai) Who is Rama Duwaji? The Syrian-American illustrator and animator works in the digital medium, examining "the nuances of sisterhood and communal experiences," according to her official website. She has worked with a variety of clients, most notably The New Yorker, The Washington Post, BBC, Apple, Spotify, VICE and the Tate Modern. The animator also creates hand-built ceramics, to take a break from the digital world, and hosts workshops on combining illustration and pottery to create handmade, illustrated plates, according to her website. Mamdani has asked social media commenters and "right-wing trolls" to avoid making the political race about his wife, and to focus on him instead.
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Who is Zohran Mamdani's wife? How pro-Palestine artist met NYC mayor candidate in very modern way
As socialist Zohran Mamdani stunned the New York City 's mayor's race by winning the Democratic primary this week, his wife became an unexpected overnight star. Mamdani's illustrator wife Rama Duwaji, 27, had been low-key during her husband's social media-driven campaign before joining him on stage when he celebrated victory on Tuesday night. Some critics of the left-wing candidate, 33, had even accused him of 'hiding his wife from NYC' during his bruising primary against former Governor Andrew Cuomo. But Duwaji was all smiles as she marked her husband's victory on stage, and wrote on Instagram that she 'couldn't possibly be prouder' of him as he shocked his establishment opponent. Mamdani, who met his wife on the dating app Hinge, lovingly addressed Duwaji in front of his crowd on Tuesday, saying 'Rama, thank you' as he kissed her hand. The potential future First Lady of the Big Apple says on her Instagram bio that she is 'from Damascus', however a Mamdani campaign spokesperson told the New York Times that she was actually born in Texas. She is best known for her illustrations and animations, many of which are pro-Palestine themed and criticize Israel and the Trump administration. Duwaji's artwork has appeared in numerous galleries including London's Tate Modern, and has been included in news outlets including the New Yorker, the BBC and the Washington Post. As his wife's lack of presence on the campaign trail became a source of ammunition for his opponents, Mamdani took on his critics with an Instagram post of his own. 'If you take a look at Twitter today, or any day for that matter, you know how vicious politics can be,' Mamdani wrote alongside images from their civil ceremony. 'I usually brush it off, whether it's death threats or calls for me to be deported. But it's different when it's about those you love. 'Three months ago, I married the love of my life, Rama, at the City Clerk's office. Now, right-wing trolls are trying to make this race – which should be about you – about her.' He added: 'You can critique my views, but not my family... (Rama) isn't just my wife, she's an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms.' Among Duwaji's recent artworks shared to her Instagram include calls to release previously detained Columbia student and pro-Palestine activist Mahmoud Khalil, who was locked up by the Trump administration for months without being charged with a crime before he was freed last week. In May, she also shared an animation condemning Israel's treatment of civilians in Gaza, which showed a woman holding a bowl that read 'it's not a hunger crisis... it is deliberate starvation.' Duwaji's thrust into the limelight comes as her husband rapidly rose to national prominence with his surprise victory this week. The 33-year-old has faced mounting questions about his experience since he gained traction and ultimately won the Democratic primary, with his only public service work coming as a state assemblyman. In the state assembly, Mamdani promoted few bills, and his legislative record includes co-sponsoring bills requiring prisons to house inmates based on their self-declared gender, preventing law enforcement from asking about a perp's immigration status, and forcing small businesses to make their product packaging eco-friendly. Critics have said a Mamdani win will see the Big Apple slide back into the type of permissive lawlessness that scarred the city during the COVID crisis, but which woke locals and lawmakers scoffed at. When asked by Good Morning America this week about his lack of experience, Mamdani avoided talking about his record and turned the question back on his recent run for mayor. 'The experience that I show in this moment is to be able to meet the crisis that New Yorkers are facing, and deliver them a new kind of city,' he said. 'One that is unencumbered by the old ways.' Mamdani has described himself as 'Trump's worst nightmare', and his far-left policy platform sharply divided the nation as he gained traction in the mayor's race. He says he wants to raise taxes on the top one percent of New York earners - something the mayor does not have the authority to do - and make a number of city services free including childcare and buses. The city assemblyman has also proposed spending $65 million on transgender care, freezing rent on rent-stabilized apartments, and creating city-owned grocery stores. He has also advocated for defunding the city's police department, defended pro- Palestine slogans like 'globalize the intifada' - which critics say is an anti-Semitic call for the destruction of Israel - and said he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Rama Duwaji: Who is the wife of NYC candidate Zohran Mamdani?
Rama Duwaji, a 27-year-old artist and animator, has been thrust into the spotlight as her husband Zohran Mamdani this week became the likely Democratic candidate for mayor of New York Duwaji is a New York-based artist with Syrian roots whose work often explores Middle Eastern themes. Her work has appeared on BBC News, and in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Vice and London's Tate Modern museum."Rama isn't just my wife; she's an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms," Mamdani wrote in a post on 12 May, announcing they had been married three months earlier."Omg she's real," Mrs Duwaji joked in a comment on that post. Mrs Duwaji was rarely seen during her husband's primary election campaign to lead the most populous US city, leading opponents to claim that the 33-year-old state assemblyman was "hiding" his wife. Her absence was notable, given that US candidates often put their spouses on full display to show off their commitment to family values. Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, declared a stunning victory in the Democratic party's primary on Tuesday, defeating his main rival and political veteran Andrew Cuomo who previously served as state governor. Mamdani addressed the criticism over his wife's absence in his May post, which included a series of photos showing their marriage at the New York City Clerk's office. "If you take a look at Twitter today, or any day for that matter, you know how vicious politics can be," he wrote. "I usually brush it off, whether it's death threats or calls for me to be deported. But it's different when it's about those you love.... You can critique my views, but not my family."After results from the Democratic primary came in earlier this week, she took to her own Instagram page to post black-and-white photos of the couple embracing with the caption "couldn't possibly be prouder". The couple met on dating app Hinge, "so there is still hope in those dating apps," the candidate said in an interview for The Bulwark last week. "Before their civil ceremony in New York City, Zohran and his wife celebrated their engagement in Dubai last year - where her family lives - with a small, joyful ceremony surrounded by their loved ones," the Mamdani campaign said in a posted by a florist in Dubai showed the Dubai city skyline in the background, as the couple stood on the rooftop where they held a traditional Islamic wedding ceremony known as a nikah. Mrs Duwaji graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University before earning a master's degree in illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York City."Using drawn portraiture and movement, Rama examines the nuances of sisterhood and communal experiences," Mrs Duwaji's professional website reads. Much of her work is in black and white, and depicts scenes from the Arab world. Mrs Duwaji herself was born in Texas and is ethnically Syrian, a campaign spokesman told the New York Times on 2022, her works appeared in the BBC World Service documentary "Who killed my grandfather" that investigated the assassination of a Yemeni politician in 1974. Some of her works listed on Instagram criticise "American imperialism," what she called Israeli war crimes and denounce the "ethnic cleansing" of Palestinians, mirroring some of her husband's policy positions. Israel emphatically denies accusations of genocide in Gaza, or Jewish works also show support for Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate that the Trump administration is seeking to deport over claims that his work advocating for Palestinians amounts to "antisemitism" towards Jews. The Brooklyn-based artist spent most of the coronavirus pandemic in Dubai, where her family lives, she said in an April interview with website that interview, she was asked about recent events in the Middle East, the return to the White House of Donald Trump and sharp uptick in immigration raids. "I'm not going to lie, things are dark right now in NYC. I worry for my friends and family, and things feel completely out of my hands," she said."With so many people being pushed out and silenced by fear, all I can do is use my voice to speak out about what's happening in the US and Palestine and Syria as much as I can," she added. She was also asked about the responsibly that artists have to speak out about global issues. "An artist's duty as far as I'm concerned is to reflect the times," she said, quoting musician Nina Simone."I believe everyone has a responsibility to speak out against injustice, and art has such an ability to spread it," she continued. "I don't think everybody has to make political work, but art is inherently political in how it's made, funded, and shared. Even creating art as a refuge from the horrors we see is political to me. It's a reaction to the world around us."
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Zohran Mamdani's wife Rama Duwaji is an animator, illustrator and ceramicist. And they met on Hinge
NEW YORK — Rama Duwaji's Election Day post on Instagram was only four words long, but said all it needed to say: 'couldn't possibly be prouder.' It was accompanied by a photo-booth strip of happy poses with her husband, Zohran Mamdani, and a voting selfie that would presage a momentous night: The 33-year-old state assemblyman would stun the political world — and opponent Andrew Cuomo — with his success in the race for the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor.
The National
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The National
Who is Rama Duwaji, Syrian-American illustrator married to Zohran Mamdani?
Syrian-American illustrator and designer Rama Duwaji has been thrust into the spotlight. Based in New York City, she is known for her black-and-white drawings of women, in which she uses expressive line work to explore themes such as sisterhood, Arab identity, shared experiences and political resistance. Even if you're unfamiliar with her art, her name might still ring a bell – Duwaji is married to Zohran Mamdani, who recently made headlines with his surprise win in the Democratic primary for the New York mayoral race. However, as Mamdani posted on social media after they married earlier this year: 'Rama isn't just my wife, she's an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms.' Duwaji frequently depicts women of colour, focusing on their individuality, beauty and the nuances of their experiences. She uses her platform to create visual narratives that address current events and advocate for marginalised communities, particularly in the Arab world. She has been vocal about her support for Palestine, for instance. In 2021, she shared an image showing three people standing together, joining elbows firmly. The words 'we won't leave' are written across the piece in Arabic. 'In solidarity with Palestine and the families of Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood who are facing displacement from their own homes, a literal ethnic cleansing,' she captioned the post. Last month, Duwaji shared an illustration about the ongoing hunger crisis in Gaza. 'As I was making this, Israel has been bombing Gaza nonstop with successive airstrikes. Keep your eyes on Gaza and support @goprojecthope,' she said. Duwaji's work has been featured in major international outlets, such as The New Yorker, The Washington Post, BBC, Apple, Spotify, Vice and the Tate Modern. She has exhibited solo shows in Virginia and Beirut, and her portfolio includes editorial illustrations, screen prints, children's illustrations and graphic novels. She also makes her own ceramics – particularly illustrated plates in blue and white. During the Covid pandemic, she spent the majority of her time with her family in Dubai before moving to the US. 'I had wanted to move to New York pre-pandemic, so at some point, I finally moved. It was before vaccines were a thing, and I was in a new city where I didn't know as many people,' she told Yung magazine in 2022. 'I was trying to create a community when people weren't being very social. I just started messaging cool creatives I knew from Instagram. And people are actually pretty open to meeting new people here. There's nothing to lose. I've met a lot of great Arab-American artists that way.'
