{"id":332710,"date":"2026-08-29T16:10:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T16:10:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/332710\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T16:10:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T16:10:34","slug":"nyc-first-lady-rama-duwaji-jetting-off-to-islamic-calligraphy-retreat-in-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/332710\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC first lady Rama Duwaji jetting off to Islamic calligraphy retreat in Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s wife Rama Duwaji<\/a> is once again jetting off to Europe for a posh, Islamic- centered women\u2019s retreat, The Post has learned.<\/p>\n

Gotham\u2019s controversial first lady will be resuming her role as the \u201cartist-in-residence\u201d with The Women Sanctuary for the third time this year when they host the \u201cJourney through Islamic Calligraphy\u201d retreat in Porto, Portugal.<\/p>\n

The spiritual wellness gathering<\/a> is set to take place in two sessions from Sept. 16-21 and 25-30, according to the group\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is joined by his wife, First Lady Rama Duwaji, following a news conference at Gracie Mansion on Jan. 12. James Keivom<\/p>\n

\u201cSome days, we will explore the rich history of Islam in Portugal, uncovering the traces of a remarkable legacy still woven into the landscape. On others, we will gather for a marvelous illustration workshop with our artist-in-residence, Rama Duwaji, celebrating this heritage,\u201d the retreat\u2019s website says.<\/p>\n

Other afternoons will be dedicated to picnics<\/a>, poolside hangouts, walks and chats.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe these unhurried moments are just as much a part of the retreat as the program itself; a space for suhbah, spiritual reflection, and presence, where hearts can soften, souls can be nourished, and remembrance can arise naturally amidst the beauty of creation,\u201d The Women Sanctuary boasts.<\/p>\n

The retreat, priced from $4,300 for a shared room to $5,260 for a private room with a private bathroom, will take place at the manor house in the tranquil countryside of Arcos de Valdevez.<\/p>\n

\u201cSurrounded by nature, the venue provides a truly restorative environment, featuring an exceptional heated outdoor pool, a heated indoor pool, and beautifully landscaped gardens,\u201d says the Women Sanctuary website. <\/p>\n

Critics scoffed at Duwaji\u2019s latest high-flying<\/a> jaunt.<\/p>\n

Mayor Mamdani\u2019s wife has been tapped to lead an Islamic calligraphy workshop as part of a retreat being held by The Women Sanctuary in Porto, Portugal next month. womenssanctuary.com<\/p>\n

\u201cFormer first ladies spent their time visiting schools and doing charitable work,\u201d Queens City Councilwoman Joann Ariola told The Post. \u201cBeing Zohran Mamdani\u2019s wife must be very stressful because this first lady is more interested in vacations than she is in matters that affect New Yorkers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re acting like jet-setters when they\u2019re supposed to be for New Yorkers but they\u2019re anything but. She\u2019s a good example<\/a> of the hypocrisy of this administration,\u201d former Queens City Councilman Bob Holden said.<\/p>\n

Duwaji, 29, made headlines last month when she skipped out of town<\/a> for America\u2019s 250th birthday celebration for an Islamic \u201cspiritual wellness\u201d retreat with The Women Sanctuary on the Spanish resort island of Mallorca.<\/p>\n

Rama Duwaji attends the Diotima fashion show as part of RTW Fall 2026 on February 15 in New York. WWD via Getty Images<\/p>\n

The Syrian-American animator, illustrator and ceramist also attended a second The Women Sanctuary retreat from July 9-14 in Corsica, France, that honored \u201cthe legacy of Mary, the most honored woman in the Quran.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mamdani\u2019s wife<\/a> has been known for her anti-US, anti-Israel rhetoric.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmerican soldiers fighting in imperialist wars are not brave nor are they fighting for anyone\u2019s freedom. They are mercilessly slaughtering 3rd world civilians and fighting to maintain American hegemony,\u201d she raged in a 2015 Tumblr post.<\/p>\n

Hizzoner has come to his wife\u2019s defense, stressing that she should be free of public criticism because she is not an official member of the administration. <\/p>\n

Duwaji was spotted at Newark International Airport on June 29 boarding an eight-hour flight to Palma, Mallorca\u2019s capital city in the Western Mediterranean.<\/p>\n

In September, Duwaji is slated to visit Lebanon and Syria<\/a>, where she has relatives.<\/p>\n

Both countries are listed on the State Department\u2019s \u201cDo Not Travel\u201d list for Americans.<\/p>\n

City Hall originally said that Duwaji would have an NYPD security detail for the trip, but the NYPD later denied<\/a> that claim. Mamdani blamed his own staff for the communication snafu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s wife Rama Duwaji is once again jetting off to Europe for a posh, Islamic- centered…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":332711,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[3456,6211,57,9,56,63,65,64,9558,18510,58,82],"class_list":["post-332710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-artists","tag-islam","tag-metro","tag-new-york","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news","tag-portugal","tag-rama-duwaji","tag-us-news","tag-zohran-mamdani"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=332710"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332710\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/332711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=332710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=332710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=332710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}