Zohran Mamdani is the first Muslim mayor of New York who won in the municipal elections.
Zohran Mamdani was born in 1991 in Kampala, the capital of Uganda. His family later migrated to the United States and settled in New York.
His father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a distinguished professor of political science and sociology at Columbia University, and his mother, Mira Nair, is an activist in the field of women’s rights in East Africa.
Mamdani completed his university studies in political science at Bowdoin College in the state of Maine, and from his student years onward, he was drawn to social activism and justice-oriented causes.
Mamdani’s formal political career began when he ran for the New York State Assembly as a Democratic Party candidate.
From the start, Mamdani became known for his socialist positions, and he quickly rose to become one of the leaders of the “Democratic Socialists of America” movement in New York.
The core of Mamdani’s political work is grounded in economic justice, affordable housing, reforming the public transportation system, and combating racial and class-based discrimination.
He consistently emphasizes that local government must make life easier for the working class, and views politics as a tool for improving the living conditions of ordinary people.
During his time in the State Assembly, he has proposed multiple bills aimed at increasing funding for public housing, reducing urban transportation costs, and improving access to healthcare and education.
His victory — which came during a period of growing public discontent over the high cost of living was widely interpreted as a major win for the Democratic Party’s left wing.
Zohran Mamdani currently lives in the Astoria neighborhood of New York City. He is interested in hip-hop music and social-themed cinema, and has repeatedly stressed in interviews that politics should be the voice of ordinary people, not big corporations.
According to the American newspaper The New York Post, Mamdani strongly criticized the United States’ airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities. He called the attack an illegal military action and the beginning of a new chapter of international instability.
In his view, US policy toward Iran, including the use of force without congressional consultation, is an example of breaching commitments and prioritizing military spending over social justice.
Mamdani has taken sharply critical positions toward the Zionist regime. He has blamed Israel for implementing apartheid policies in the occupied Palestinian territories.
New York’s new mayor has supported economic and cultural boycotts of the Zionist regime, describing the actions of this movement as consistent with international law.
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