A couple of weeks before his election victory , Zohran Mamdani stood in front of a mosque in the Bronx. There, he gave the most personal speech of his campaign—a speech which sounded like it had been months, perhaps years , in the making.

Just days before, a New York radio host had suggested Zohran would be “cheering” if another 9/11 happened on his watch. It was the high-water mark of a rising tide of anti-Muslim hatred that Mamdani had faced since the moment he declared his candidacy last year.

Zohran’s response was defiant . He spoke about his pride in his faith . He talked about the climate of fear which, like many Muslim New Yorkers, he had faced for much of his life. And he recalled the advice of a community elder who had suggested that if he wanted to make it in po

See Full Page