Mamdani forced to clarify relative invoked in viral Islamophobia anecdote as questions swirl
New York City socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani offered up a clarification on Monday about an anecdote that sparked controversy on social media related to an anecdote he told about...
By Fox News · Fox News
New York City socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani offered up a clarification on Monday about an anecdote that sparked controversy on social media related to an anecdote he told about his "aunt" not using the subway in New York City due to post-9/11 Islamophobia. "I was speaking about Zehra fuhi, my father’s cousin, who passed away a few years ago," Mamdani told reporters on Monday, using the term "fuhi" which the New York Post reported means paternal aunt in Hindi and Urdu, after social media users had raised questions about the veracity of his story. "I want to speak to the memory of my aunt who stopped taking the subway after September 11th because she did not feel safe in her hijab," Mamdani, fighting back tears, told a crowd on October 24 while outlining his concerns about Islamophobia and suggesting that criticisms of his anti-Israel positions are rooted in a disdain toward his Muslim faith. Shortly after that clip hit the internet, a wave of criticism hit from conservatives and internet sleuths who poked holes in the story and suggested Mamdani had embellished it, pointing to his one direct biological aunt, Dr. Masuma Mamdani, listing on her LinkedIn that she worked and presumably lived in Tanzania from January 2000 to December 2003. Additionally, publicly available photos of Masuma Mamdani don’t show her wearing a hijab. DESANTIS PREDICTS WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF MAMDANI WINS NYC ELECTION: 'GREAT' FOR GOP, 'BAD FOR NEW YORK CITY' The controversy reached the White House in the form of a post on X from Vice President JD Vance who expressed skepticism about the story. "According to Zohran the real victim of 9/11 was his auntie who got some (allegedly) bad looks," the vice president wrote. INSIDE THE MAMDANI MACHINE: SOROS CASH, SOCIALISTS AND RADICAL IMAMS ENGINEERED ZOHRAN MAMDANI’S PATH TO POWER Mamdani's father Mahmood, who Zohran Mamdani says is the cousin of the deceased aunt, has faced criticism during the campaign for his past controversial statements…