{"id":30607,"date":"2025-11-06T12:05:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T12:05:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/30607\/"},"modified":"2025-11-06T12:05:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T12:05:10","slug":"staten-island-muslim-community-reacts-to-mamdanis-historic-mayoral-victory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/30607\/","title":{"rendered":"Staten Island Muslim community reacts to Mamdani\u2019s historic mayoral victory"},"content":{"rendered":"

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The moment it was announced that Zohran Mamdani was elected as the first Muslim mayor of New York City,<\/a> Abdullah Akl says it was the first time he could identify with a leader who looked like himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I\u2019ve been seeing on the news is, for the first time, someone who looks like myself, someone who believes in some of the things that I believe in, someone that may have a very similar story to mine that a lot of Muslims like myself have,\u201d said the Dongan Hills resident and borough Muslim leader.<\/p>\n

The self-described Democratic Socialist has led an energetic, grassroots campaign focused on affordability that has resonated with voters, particularly those younger and more progressive.<\/p>\n

\"ShahanaMariners Harbor resident Shahana Masum with Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on the campaign trail.(Courtesy of Shahana Masum)<\/p>\n

And this gives Akl, whose parents immigrated from Egypt, hope that there will be less Islamophobia in the U.S.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see him running for one of the highest offices in New York City, one of the most powerful positions in the country. And the reason why we\u2019re seeing this global following is because it\u2019s inspiration to a community that is over a billion people right now. The Muslim community has been growing more and more, but more locally in New York City,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

And he\u2019s not alone in his excitement over the first Muslim mayor.<\/p>\n

\u201cZohran is a representation of New York City. He, like New York City, is diverse,\u201d said Shahana Masum, who campaigned for Mamdani on Staten Island. \u201cNew York City is an immigrant city built by immigrants. His [Mamdani\u2019s] affordability efforts that he talks about, the rent freeze, free and fast busses, free child care, these issues are the daily struggle of New Yorkers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AbdullahThe moment it was announced that Zohran Mamdani was elected as the first Muslim mayor of New York City, Abdullah Akl says it was the first time he could identify with a leader who looked like himself.(Courtesy of Hazem Hassan)<\/p>\n

The Mariners Harbor resident, who immigrated to the U.S. from Bangladesh, said Mamdani resonated with everyday New Yorkers who wanted a change.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone [other candidates] talked about business. Big business people are 1% and 2% of the people. The rest of the people are worried to go to store and shop for our children. We are worried about what we are going to cook for our kids. Every mother wants to give their children healthy, fresh meals,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe feel it\u2019s after a long battle against Islamophobia, that now we feel like we belong. I feel so free to speak now. Before I always had to make sure my words were right,\u201d added Masum.<\/p>\n

\"ShahanaMariners Harbor resident Shahana Masum campaigned for Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.(Courtesy of Shahana Masum)<\/p>\n

She noted that due to Mamdani being the candidate, more members of the Muslim community on Staten Island went out to vote in the election. And New Yorkers came out for this election in record-breaking numbers. Voter turnout across the city surpassed two million<\/a>, a benchmark that hasn\u2019t been reached in a New York City mayoral election since 1969, with 2,055,921 votes tallied thus far.<\/p>\n

The Mamdani election night win<\/p>\n

Amid a bustling crowd packed into the Brooklyn Paramount, Mamdani declared victory shortly after 11:15 p.m. Tuesday night.<\/p>\n

\"APTOPIXZohran Mamdani speaks during a victory speech at a mayoral election night watch party, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo\/Yuki Iwamura)AP<\/p>\n

\u201cFor as long as we can remember, the working people of New York have been told by the wealthy and the well connected that power does not belong in their hands. Fingers bruised from lifting boxes on the warehouse floor, palms calloused from delivery bike handlebars, knuckles scarred with kitchen burns. These are not hands that have been allowed to hold power, and yet, over the last 12 months, you have dared to reach for something greater. Tonight, against all odds, we have grasped it. The future is in our hands,\u201d said Mamdani.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you to the next generation of New Yorkers who refuse to accept that the promise of a better future was a relic of the past. You showed that when politics speaks to you without condescension, we can usher in a new era of leadership. We will fight for you because we are you,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

An \u2018advocate for the working class\u2019<\/p>\n

Akl said he feels Mamdani will serve as an advocate for the working class and immigrants at a time when the White House is ordering ICE raids and cutting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for many people.<\/p>\n

\"ShahanaMariners Harbor resident Shahana Masum (Pictured facing the crowd) campaigned for Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.(Courtesy of Shahana Masum)<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up as a child of immigrants, and I saw firsthand some of the struggles that they faced when it came to affordability, when it came to housing, and when it came to the regular struggles that you face in such a big city like New York. And the struggle of finding someone who looks like you and speaks like you,\u201d he said. \u201cSeeing all that come into play was something really personal to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Election not about religion\u2019<\/p>\n

However, some prominent members of the Muslim community say that Mamdani\u2019s religion isn\u2019t why the masses voted for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst of all, let\u2019s pray that he will do good by our city and he does not take any foolish steps to break our image of our great city, which is home to many millions of immigrants,\u201d said Tahir Kukaj, an Imam and clergy leader for Staten Island\u2019s Albanian and Muslim community. \u201cHe did not win as a Muslim, he won as a young man, 34 years old, who ran a good campaign, and had so many people around him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"StatenImam Tahir Kukaj said that Mamdani\u2019s religion isn\u2019t why the masses voted for him.
\nPriya Shahi<\/p>\n

Kukaj noted that not everyone in the Muslim community supported Mamdani in the election.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really hope that he will succeed, and I hope that he realizes that being the mayor of New York City is the greatest honor you can have,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

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