THE level of hysterical Islamophobia propagated through mainstream Western media and global social media by both fringe voices and popular personalities amidst war and genocide in the Middle East has been quite something to behold. Now, it has found a focal point in the dark horse candidate for New York City’s mayorship, Zohran Mamdani. Mr Mamdani, who has won the hearts and minds of many New Yorkers with his ‘people first’ campaign aimed at curbing living expenses in what is fast becoming an unaffordable city, is being slandered and abused relentlessly by mainstream American personalities and social media influencers after he secured the Democratic nomination for the city’s mayorship. The grave faults in Mr Mamdani, it seems, are that he insists on separating criticism of violent Zionism and antisemitism, supports Palestinian rights and is an immigrant Muslim of Indian descent. Not only bigots and xenophobes, but also some within his own party seem to think this makes him fair game for their hateful attacks.

Since winning the mayoral primary, Mr Mamdani has been called a “100% Communist Lunatic” by US President Donald Trump, who also included several Islamophobic dog whistles in his rant on Mr Mamdani’s victory. Right-wing conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer has said Mr Mamdani’s mayorship will lead to “another 9/11 in the city”; fellow Democrat Laura Gillen has described his campaign as “built on lies, fantasy, and hatred”. Influential social accounts have been calling him a “Muslim jihadist”, and a doctored image showing the Statue of Liberty in a black burqa, a coded reference to the ‘Islamisation of New York’, has been shared widely and gathered tens of thousands of likes. Disquietingly, several death threats have been made to Mr Mamdani and are being investigated by the New York Police. For all its ‘freedoms’ and ‘greatness’, America seems to be turning into a worryingly intolerant society. One wonders whether the end of the empire’s gilded age is nigh.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2025