Op-Ed: Kalid Loul: Zohran Mamdani can't, and won't represent the future of Muslim America
Zohran Mamdani may not yet be a household name in America, but if my fellow New Yorkers make the grave error of electing him as their next mayor, he will be soon — and for all the wrong reasons.
New York City is famed for its diversity, its dynamism, and its resilience. These qualities make cities strong — and America exceptional. My own family, like that of so many Muslim Americans, found in this country a place to worship freely, work hard, and contribute proudly to the civic good. The pluralism and freedom that define the American experience are why Muslims have thrived here in ways they have not in many other parts of the world.
But Mamdani has revealed — through his actions and words — that he would erode the very foundations that make that success possible. His campaign doesn’t celebrate American pluralism. It advances a brand of ideological radicalism that treats grievance as gospel and openly excuses extremism.
He’s advocated for government-run grocery stores, sweeping rent caps, and fare-free transit — hallmarks of a redistributionist agenda untethered from economic reality. And he’s used his platform to downplay anti-Semitism, obsessing endlessly over Israel and refusing to condemn calls to “globalize the intifada” — a slogan with violent, deeply troubling connotations.
This is not what Muslim Americans believe in. This is not what they want. And the data prove it.
According to a recent national poll by the Muslim American Leadership Alliance (MALA), Muslim voters — especially younger ones — are increasingly rejecting the grievance-first politics of the far left. They support public safety, religious freedom, and economic mobility. They value lawful immigration, free expression, and interfaith cooperation. In other words, they want what most Americans want.
Mamdani’s rise threatens to obscure that reality. By positioning himself as the voice of a new, radical, multicultural future, he risks turning public opinion against the very communities he claims to represent. His politics are not an evolution — they’re an import: the same ideology of division and resentment that has destabilized cities across Europe and helped fuel a wave of antisemitism and social fragmentation.
And yet, the Democratic establishment seems more interested in appeasing Mamdani than challenging him. When Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.) publicly raised concerns about Mamdani’s past rhetoric, she was quickly pressured to apologize — despite the fact that her comments reflected legitimate concerns shared by many in the Jewish and Muslim communities alike.
This pattern — of retreat in the face of extremism — is dangerous. It allows the loudest voices to define the narrative. It sidelines the millions of Muslim Americans who are proud of this country, invested in its future, and eager to build coalitions based on shared civic values.
As co-founder of MALA, I’ve spent years documenting and elevating the stories of Muslim Americans who are quietly, consistently living out the American dream. Doctors, teachers, small business owners, artists, students, military veterans — patriots who reject both Islamophobia and Islamist radicalism. Mamdani does not speak for them. If anything, he threatens the cultural consensus that made their success possible.
It’s unclear what meaningful choice New Yorkers will have this November. But what’s clear is that Mamdani can’t be it. The country can’t afford to normalize a politics that treats extremism as acceptable and civic order as negotiable. The danger isn’t just that he could win — it’s that his brand of radicalism could be mistaken for the future of Muslim America. It’s not. And it never should be.
Kalid Loul is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of MALA: Muslim American Leadership Alliance
