Zohran Mamdani tears up recalling his Muslim aunt's fears after 9/11 — and vows not to hide his faith - video Dailymotion

Watch Zohran Mamdani tears up recalling his Muslim aunt's fears after 9/11 — and vows not to hide his faith - New York Post on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00Yesterday, Andrew Cuomo laughed and agreed when a radio host said that I would cheer another 9-11.

00:09Yesterday, Eric Adams said that we can't let our city become Europe.

00:16He compared me to violent extremists.

00:19And he lied again and again when he said that our movement seeks to burn churches and destroy communities.

00:26The day before that, Curtis Sliwa slandered me from the debate stage when he claimed that I support global jihad.

00:35And every day, super PAC ads imply that I am a terrorist or mock the way I eat.

00:42Push polls that ask New Yorkers questions like whether they support invented proposals to make halal food mandatory.

00:49Or political cartoons that represent my candidacy as an airplane hurtling towards the World Trade Center.

00:59But I do not want to use this moment to speak to them any further.

01:04I want to use this moment to speak to the Muslims of New York City.

01:07I want to speak to the memory of my aunt.

01:22Who stopped taking the subway after September 11th because she did not feel safe in her hijab.

01:28To be Muslim in New York is to expect indignity.

01:38But indignity does not make us distinct.

01:40There are many New Yorkers who face it.

01:43It is the tolerance of that indignity that does.

01:46And I thought that if I behaved well enough or bit my tongue enough in the face of racist, baseless attacks,

01:56all while returning back to my central message,

01:59it would allow me to be more than just my faith.

02:03I was wrong.

02:06No amount of redirection is ever enough.

02:09The dream of every Muslim is simply be treated the same as any other New Yorker.

02:17And yet for too long, we have been told to ask for less than that

02:23and to be satisfied with whatever little we receive.

02:27No more.

02:31There are 12 days remaining until Election Day.

02:34I will be a Muslim man in New York City each of those 12 days.

02:38And every day that follows after that.

02:42I will not change who I am, how I eat, or the faith that I am proud to call my own.

02:51But there is one thing that I will change.

02:54I will no longer look for myself in the shadows.

02:57I will find myself in the light.

03:00Thank you very much.