Zohran Mamdani, who is leading in the New York mayoral polls ahead of the election results scheduled to be announced on November 4, now faces serious allegations about the source of his campaign financing. Earlier, US President Donald Trump and several Republican leaders had publicly accused Mamdani of being supported by what they described as radical Islamic groups. The controversy has intensified after The New York Times and other major outlets reported allegations that an organisation with suspected links to Hamas provided campaign funding for Mamdani.
Funding from Hamas-Linked Group
Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, entered the mayoral race with significant attention after defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary held in June. In the general election, he faces a three-way contest against Cuomo, who is running as an independent, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa. Yet reports suggest that a dramatic upset is unlikely, as New York remains a stronghold of the Democratic Party. Despite Mamdani’s electoral advantage, the allegations of funding from a Hamas-linked group have become a major flashpoint. The controversy emerged after Linda Sarsour, a Palestinian-American activist and a senior political advisor to Mamdani, publicly disclosed that the Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) was the primary organization behind the flow of funds to his campaign. CAIR has been repeatedly criticized by various U.S. lawmakers and security analysts for alleged links to Hamas, although the organization has denied wrongdoing for years.
Sarsour reportedly stated that both she and CAIR had played a central role in Mamdani’s rise in politics. Campaign records show that a political action committee named Unity and Justice, which reportedly collected nearly $3 million during the current election cycle, transferred $120,000 to Lower Coasts, a New York City PAC that strongly supports Mamdani. The controversy deepened as CAIR itself is facing federal scrutiny over whether any of its finances were directed toward Hamas operations abroad. The allegation against Mamdani is that he accepted money from an organization that is currently under investigation, an act that, if proven, could be a serious violation of campaign finance and national security laws.
A report in The New York Times stated that a video released on Monday showed Sarsour hinting that details about Mamdani’s rapid rise and the financial help he received from CAIR would be publicly revealed after the election. She also indicated that if Mamdani won the mayorship and later failed to fulfil the promises he allegedly made to his core support groups, a strong response would follow from her network of organizers.
Controversy Over Alleged Jihadist Association
This is not the first time Mamdani has faced accusations of having ties to religious extremism. Earlier, he came under criticism after sharing a photograph of himself with Imam Siraj Wahaj, a controversial figure linked by investigators to extremists involved in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Mamdani had posted the photograph after attending Friday prayers at a Brooklyn mosque, describing Wahaj as a prominent leader of American Muslims and a respected figure in the Bedford, Stuyvesant community.
Although Wahaj was not himself charged in the 1993 attack, U.S. investigators previously found that several of the suspects had been members of his congregation. Wahaj has long denied involvement in terrorism, but he has publicly defended those convicted in the bombing case. He has previously accused American agencies such as the FBI and CIA of being what he called “the real terrorists.” Investigators have also recorded Wahaj’s association with Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, known as the “Blind Sheikh,” who was convicted of masterminding the 1993 plot. Wahaj has additionally expressed the view that American Muslims should be able to form their own leadership structure rather than participating in conventional US electoral processes. His past statements have been cited as evidence of strong ideological positions, and Mamdani’s public admiration for him drew sharp political backlash.
Republican strategists and critics argue that Mamdani aligns himself with radical religious politics and that US Democrats underestimate the implications. When controversial activist groups demanded the introduction of Sharia principles in New York, Mamdani did not publicly reject the idea, his opponents claim. This silence has been repeatedly cited as an example of what critics call his “green religion” politics, a term used to describe Islamist ideological campaigning. Several Islamic organizations have openly endorsed Mamdani, further intensifying debate around his affiliations.
Mira Nair’s Son
Zohran Mamdani is widely known in Indian and South Asian communities as the son of acclaimed Indian filmmaker Mira Nair and Ugandan-born Indian scholar Mahmood Mamdani. Nair, who gained international recognition for films such as Salaam Bombay!, Monsoon Wedding, and The Namesake, was born in Punjab, India, and later moved to the United States. She first married photographer Mitch Epstein after meeting him at Harvard in 1977. Later, while researching her film Mississippi Masala, she met political scientist Mahmood Mamdani, a prominent Ugandan intellectual with Indian heritage. The two married in 1991, and Zohran was born in Kampala later that year.
The family moved to New York when Zohran was seven. He completed his education in the U.S. and eventually entered public life. Mamdani quickly gained attention among younger voters, partly because of his background as a rapper, an unusual identity for a mainstream political candidate in a major American city. Mamdani has also openly criticized Israel’s military operations in Gaza, condemned what he called genocide, and stated that if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ever visited New York, he would pursue legal action to arrest him for war crimes. Such statements have made him a high-profile adversary of Donald Trump and conservative groups nationwide. Former US President Barack Obama also intervened in the race, calling Mamdani personally and expressing support for his candidacy. Obama even stated that he would be willing to serve as an advisor if Mamdani won.
