New York City's Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's campaign confronted Islamophobia head-on, while rallying voters who'd long felt unseen. What does the city’s Muslim community expect from him once he's in power?
00:00It's a time of thanks for many New York Muslims.
00:03To them, Zoran Mandani's historic win as the first Muslim American mayor of the U.S.'s biggest city is a blessing.
00:12Well, as Muslim Americans, first of all, he is a Muslim.
00:15And actually, it gives us a sense of pride that a member of the community has become elected mayor of the city.
00:23That's one thing.
00:23The other matter is that he had been running on a campaign on bringing justice to the society, right?
00:32So we have this society, especially this city, which has become really unaffordable.
00:37Like we said, we have lost a lot of members of our community because of affordability issue.
00:42And we are all hopeful for something better for this city and for all people of the city.
00:48Alhamdulillah, meaning all praises due to God.
00:50We are very happy that he is elected.
00:55And we are also happy to see that someone was able to stay strong despite all the criticisms others made against this person.
01:09In terms of religion, in terms of background, in terms of how he eats, how he looks, all those discriminatory words were thrown against him.
01:25About a million Muslims live in New York.
01:28Yet advocates say their voices remain underrepresented politically, not only in the city, but across the country.
01:34While a diverse coalition of groups voted Mamdani in, his embrace of his Muslim identity has made Muslim American voters more visible across the country.
01:44That's according to Saman Wakwad of the Muslim Democrats.
01:48The Muslim electorate has been ignored by those in office, those running for political office, those who are already elected.
02:00I think that was very apparent in the 2024 presidential election, that Muslim concerns were not even validated, let alone addressed.
02:11And I think that one of the reasons also that folks have come out so strongly in this election, Muslims and allies alike, is that our voices deserve to be heard.
02:22Our concerns deserve to be acknowledged and addressed.
02:26And I think going forward, folks running for political office are going to have to address our concerns and take them into consideration.
02:36Concerns like the war in Gaza.
02:39And what many in the community see as the heavy-handed police treatment of pro-Palestinian and Muslim activists.
02:45While the euphoria of having the first Muslim mayor still hangs in the air, the pressure on Mamdani to deliver on his promises still looms large.
02:54Just because he's Muslim, that doesn't mean he gets a free pass from the community or any community.
03:00He's there as a servant of the public, of New Yorkers.
03:04And so what we want to see is him implement policies that bring about the changes that he promised and that people relied upon, right?
03:10And it doesn't matter who's in that chair, whether you're of any faith, of any race.
03:15You're an elected public servant.
03:17That is what you are.
03:18And so you must serve the public.
03:19For those who believe in him, Mamdani's win is a moment of faith rewarded.
03:25But the real test lies in whether this triumph of representation translates into real change.
03:31Not just for the Muslim community, but for all New Yorkers.
03:34Not just for the Muslim community, but for the Muslim community, the fascist lies in the family.
03:52For those who believe in the same state of stone, yes.
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