Zohran Mamdani vows to fight Islamophobia and discrimination against Palestinians.
Mamdani wrote on his X-rated account: “Last week, online conspiracy theorists falsely blamed Mustafa Kharbush, a young Palestinian student at Brown University, for the horrific shooting in early December, based on a photo of him wearing a chafiyya.”
In the days since, Kharbush has faced death threats, unimaginable Islamophobia, and anti-Palestinian racism, the Muslim mayor-elect of New York City added.
Mamdani, who will be New York’s first Muslim mayor, added: “Today, I had the honor of speaking with Mustafa. I learned about his life as an optimistic scholar interested in international relations and anthropology. He shared stories from his summers in Sunnyside while doing an internship. He is considering a PhD and is considering returning to New York City if he can afford it. And I learned about his Palestinian heritage, the very heritage for which he was attacked.
The New York City mayor-elect added: “I told Mustafa that we would love to see him back in New York City, where, as mayor, I see it as my duty to honor and protect all New Yorkers and to combat Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism everywhere.”
Zohran Mamdani will take over as mayor of New York City from Eric Adams on January 1, 2026.