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Time of India
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'This is sick': Jewish advocacy group slams Zohran Mamdani for sharing video mocking Hanukkah
Zohran Mamdani has been accused of mocking Hannukah. Stop Antisemitism, the Jewish advocacy group, blasted Democratic New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani for sharing a video mocking Hanukkah. The video was shared last year but it went viral as Mamdani is dominating headlines after his surprise victory in the primary. Some false claims were made over the video saying Mamdani, who was a rapper before his plunge into politics, was featured in the video. But he was not in the video and shared it on Hanukkah. Mamdani had posted the video in December 2024, adding the caption, "Happy 3rd night of Hanukkah from Astoria and Long Island City." The video originates from the 2015 parody album "Punjabi Christmas Album Hits" from the Geeta Brothers, a side project of Sikh-Canadian musician and comedian Jus Reign. Mamdani posted another video from the same album on Christmas Eve, this one based on "Jingle Bells." "Wishing you all a very merry Christmas from Astoria and Long Island City," he wrote at the time. — StopAntisemites (@StopAntisemites) "Zohran Mamdani posts Indian men cosplaying Jews, spinning dreidels and lighting the menorah," Stop Antisemitism wrote in a statement on X. "Our holidays and traditions are sacred and not for your comedic pleasure, Zohran Mamdani – this is sick," the group added, tagging the mayoral candidate. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Mamdani has been accused of antisemitism during his campaign as well as he refused several times to recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. During a primary debate, he said he believed Israel has a right to exist. "As a Jewish state?" he was asked. "As a state with equal rights," Mamdani said. "I'm not comfortable supporting any state that has a hierarchy of citizenship on the basis of religion or anything else," he explained later. StopAntisemitism founder Liora Rez said last week that electing Mamdani mayor would not only be "catastrophic" for Jewish residents, but all who reside in the city. "If Zohran Mamdani was elected as mayor, it would be hands down catastrophic for Jewish residents of New York City," Rez said. "And we would even take it a step further where citizens of New York City in general, due to his very troubling stances on socialism, would greatly suffer as well."
New York Post
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Zohran Mamdani shared ‘sick' video mocking Hannukah and ‘cosplaying Jews,' advocacy group charges
A Jewish advocacy group slammed Democratic socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani for posting a 'sick' video mocking Hannukah and 'cosplaying Jews.' The mayoral front-runner shared a video on his X account last year from the Geeta Brothers Duet Group, showing two men wearing wigs dancing behind a menorah, playing with dreidels and celebrating with Punjabi-style music. 'Zohran Mamdani posts Indian men cosplaying Jews, spinning dreidels and lighting the menorah,' pro-Jewish group Stop Antisemitism wrote in a post to X Saturday, which included the controversial song. Advertisement 'Our holidays and traditions are sacred and not for your comedic pleasure _ZohranKMamdani — this is sick.' 4 The music video 'Hey Hanukkah' was shared by Zohran Mamdani last year during the solemn holiday. Zohran Kwame Mamdani, /X Advertisement Mamdani, 33, shared the campy song called 'Hey Hannukah' during last year's Festival of Lights. 'Happy 3rd night of Hanukkah from Astoria and Long Island City,' the Queens lawmaker wrote on X at the time. The video is from the 2015 parody album 'Punjabi Christmas Album Hits' from the Geeta Brothers — a side project of Sikh-Canadian musician and comedian Jus Reign. 4 The video from the Geeta Brothers showed men in wigs playing with dreidels, performing Punjabi music, and dancing behind a menorah. Zohran Kwame Mamdani, /X Advertisement Mamdani shared a similar video from the same comedy group on Christmas Eve 2024. 'Wishing you all a very merry Christmas from Astoria and Long Island City,' the self-described 'nepo-baby' wrote, sharing a video for the song 'Jingle Bells,' in which the performers wear similar wigs. The tone-deaf post is not the only reason Jewish New Yorkers are outraged over the rise of the socialist pol. 4 The video is from a 2015 parody holiday album that is the brainchild of Sikh-Canadian comedian Jus Reign. Zohran Kwame Mamdani, /X Advertisement Some Big Apple voters were gobsmacked when they received pro-Mamdani text messages that invoked the horrors of the October 7th attack in Israel. 'My friend Idan was murdered on October 7 at the Re'im music festival. The war is personal to me, as it is to many in our community,' a text shared with The Post read. 'The war is personal to me, as it is to many others in our community. Idan believed in peace, just like Zohran does,' the text read. It's unclear who sent them. 4 Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock The state assemblyman has previously come under fire for refusing to recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. Earlier this week, the Bronx Science graduate, who was born in Uganda to Indian parents, alienated Black New Yorkers when it was revealed that he claimed he was African American on his application to Columbia University.
Indian Express
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Oxford University students dance to title track from Akshay Kumar, John Abraham-starrer ‘Desi Boyz', win hearts: ‘Science has never looked hotter'
A group of students studying at Oxford University in the United Kingdom has taken the internet by storm after dancing to the title track of Desi Boyz – Make Some Noise for the Desi Boyz – at several iconic locations on campus, including Lady Margaret Hall. Originally sung by KK and Bob, the Bollywood song features Akshay Kumar and John Abraham. In the now-viral video, several 'desi boys' can be seen dancing to the song in gardens, halls, cobblestone paths, and other places. The video has been conceptualised and directed by Oxford alumnus Druv Punjabi and his crew. 'Check out this incredible Bollywood dance video filmed at Lady Margaret Hall and other iconic Oxford spots…' the caption read. Watch here: A post shared by Druv Punjabi (@druvphk) Several social media users have hailed the choreography. 'Guys! science has never looked hotter! Please, don't stop!' a user wrote. 'This is super incredible… Such a big achievement… The halls of Oxford University echoing with bollywood mashups,' another user commented. 'You give me dance, culture, smile, Oxford, for me you devoured,' a third user reacted. 'So good that I couldn't stop smiling,' a fourth user said. In 2022, Sikh-Canadian educator Gurdeep Pandher became an overnight Internet sensation after a video of him performing bhangra in -40 degree Celsius in Yukon, Canada went viral. In the same year, a video of a youngster performing bhangra at Heathrow Airport in the UK upon reuniting with his friend after a long time won hearts on social media.
Hamilton Spectator
09-06-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Why some Canadians are alarmed by Mark Carney's pledge to act with urgency
Canadians elected Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal government based on its pledge to act with urgency and fix things — the country's economy, its security and its standing on the world stage. But with the unveiling of a bill to supercharge the economy and early efforts to improve the country's adversarial relations with India and China, there's growing concern that Carney's plans to boost Canada could involve unsavoury trade offs. Ask Indigenous leaders who were left out of 'nation-building' meetings or were given just a week to comment on legislation that will fast track infrastructure projects reasonably expected to pass through their treaty-protected territories. Ask Sikh-Canadian leaders who have seen their members targeted for death or violence, allegedly on orders from Indian government agents. Last Friday, they listened as Carney defended his G7 invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as one that 'makes sense' based on India's economic power, population and key role in international 'supply chains.' Ask foreign aid organizations, perhaps, if Canada commits to radically increasing defence spending along with NATO allies at a leaders' summit planned for later this month. Carney is not alone in his apparent willingness to step on toes if it means he can move further and faster in responding to the sense of emergency at hand. It's part of a global movement with governments invoking looming threats and emerging risks to push through all sorts of questionable — and sometimes contestable — priorities. The most blatant example is the one that has sparked the economic emergency in Canada. U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs on imports have been pushed through not with legislation that can be studied, debated and voted upon, but through presidential executive orders invoking real or imagined national emergencies at the Canada-U. S. border. They are premised upon risks from America-bound migrants, fentanyl, steel and cars and, despite initial court rulings that tranches of the tariffs are illegal under U.S. law, they remain in effect. Likewise, the generalized panic that Russia's three-years-and-counting war against Ukraine has instilled in Europe. There is legitimate reason to worry about the longer-term intentions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a leader who has been unwilling to agree to a ceasefire despite sanctions, despite diplomatic isolation, despite the more recent appeals, threats and exhortations of the Trump administration. But preparations for a potentially wider conflict on the European continent now have German officials talking about rehabilitating long-abandoned bunkers, Poland vowing to build up 'the strongest army in the region,' and Swedish households receiving an alarming 32-page pamphlet from their government entitled: 'In case of crisis or war.' 'To all residents of Sweden: we live in uncertain times,' the booklet begins ominously. It goes on to cover everything from securing one's home to digital safety to instructions on how to stop bleeding to advice about handling pets and talking to children. This is the political and emotional backdrop against which Canada and other NATO member states later this month are expected to back an agreement to steeply increase in their national defence budgets, moving to five per cent of GDP from two per cent. If agreed to, it will result in many billions of dollars going to weapons, tanks, planes and soldiers' salaries. But before those purchases can go ahead, there will be many difficult choices made about how to come up with the funds. Governments always talk about finding budget efficiencies for unexpected priorities, though saving is not a specialty for which politicians are well suited. Even Donald Trump and Elon Musk came up spectacularly short of their savings pledges through the Department of Government Efficiency. More frequently, governments end up robbing Peter in order to pay Paul, as the saying goes — cutting spending in on domain to increase it in another. That is exactly what the United Kingdom did with blunt effect when it announced earlier this year that it would slash foreign aid spending drastically in order to increase the defence budget. 'Few countries have articulated such a direct, one-to-one trade off before between those two areas of public spending,' noted a report from ODI Global , a think tank, that criticized the British government for thinking of defence and foreign-aid spending as an either-or choice. Similar potential trade offs are cause for concern in Canada. Will the urgency to build oil pipelines and assert the country as an 'energy superpower' in new markets come at the cost of Canada's fight against global warming? Carney's reputation as a climate-change warrior is well-established, but his use of the oil-and-gas industry's ' marketing speak ' at a recent meeting first ministers' meeting with provincial premiers has some worried about the economy taking priority over the environment. Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the national association representing Canadian Inuit, wasn't even invited to the first ministers' meeting, which concluded with a statement about the need to 'unlock the North's economic potential.' 'It is troubling that in 2025, the Government of Canada is so comfortable with empty rhetoric in place of rightful participation,' the Inuit association said in a news release . The legislation to get Carney's economic fast-track transformation under way — one that the Liberal government wants to pass into law by Canada Day — was decried by the Assembly of First Nations, which had just seven days to provide any concerns about the bill, APTN News reported . There are those who will defend a go-fast approach to governing in extraordinary times. They will warn that there is a greater risk in being sunk by the status quo — the never-ending consultations, the delays, red-tape entanglements. 'The advantage of a wartime mentality lies in the sense of urgency it introduces, and the readiness it encourages to push aside unnecessary bureaucratic barriers,' wrote Lawrence Freedman, an emeritus professor of War Studies at King's College London, in a piece about Russia, Ukraine and Europe. It's a line that can be applied as equally to Ottawa as to Moscow, Kyiv, Paris, Brussels or London. But one person's bureaucratic barrier is the next person's guard rail — a measure ensuring confidence, protecting against damaging errors, saving lives. Moving at high speeds, it can be difficult to spot the difference.
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Business Standard
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
'Our old relationship of integration with US is now over': Canadian PM
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to retain power after the Canadian media projected his Liberal party leading in the high-stakes federal election. In his victory speech, he criticised the US and emphasised that Canada's old relationship of integration with the US is over now. Speaking to supporters, Carney declared, 'Canada now finds itself at a hinge moment of history'. 'Our old relationship of integration with the US is now over. We are over the shock of the American betrayal,' he said. He emphasised the importance of unity in Canada's response to these challenges. 'President Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us. That will never, ever happen,' he said. The Prime Minister also declared that his upcoming talks with Trump would focus on negotiating a fair economic and security relationship. 'This is Canada, and we decide what happens here,' Carney asserted. 'We will fight back with everything we have to get the best deal for Canada.' Carney's vision for the future was clear, offering the slogan, 'Canada strong, Canada free, Canada forever'. Liberals poised for minority win However, Carney's Liberal Party is expected to fall short of an outright majority, according to projections. The Liberals are forecast to win enough seats in Canada's 343-member Parliament to continue governing, though as a minority. A party needs 172 seats to secure a majority government. ALSO READ | The election result marks a stunning comeback for the Liberals, who had been facing near-certain defeat until US President Donald Trump's annexation threats and trade war with Canada sparked a nationalist backlash. In defeat, Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservative Party, conceded late on Monday. 'Canadians have opted for a razor-thin minority government, a virtual tie in the vote count. I would like to congratulate Prime Minister Carney on leading this minority government,' he said. Poilievre acknowledged that while there would be opportunities to debate and disagree, 'tonight we come together as Canadians.' Poilievre had aimed to turn the election into a referendum on former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose popularity suffered due to the rising cost of living and an influx of immigrants. However, Trump's attacks on Canada reshaped the political landscape, leading to Trudeau's resignation and Carney's rise to leadership. New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh also suffered a blow, losing his seat and stepping down as party leader. Singh, a prominent Sikh-Canadian lawmaker, expressed his support for Carney, saying, "Carney will represent all Canadians and protect our country and its sovereignty from the threats of Donald Trump.' [With inputs from agencies]
