Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing renewed controversy after his wife’s social media activity drew attention for endorsing posts linked to Hamas’ October 7 attack.
An examination of Instagram shows Rama Duwaji, a Syrian-American artist and Mamdani’s wife, liked multiple posts that celebrated the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
The assault left nearly 1,200 Israelis and foreign workers dead, wounded thousands, resulted in 251 people kidnapped, and included reports of sexual assault.
One liked post was shared the day of the attack by The Slow Factory and used images from livestreamed footage showing attackers and a breached barrier.
Those images included text such as “Breaking the walls of apartheid and military occupation” and “Resisting apartheid since 1948.”
The post’s caption argued that “if and when the occupation forces retaliate against this resistance” Gazans would be “punished for wanting freedom from apartheid.”
Duwaji liked the post via her personal account, which she has also used for political illustrations and criticism of Israeli policy.
Mamdani has interacted with that account in the past, according to the reporting.
The tone of the liked posts stands in stark contrast to Mamdani’s public messaging in which he described Oct. 7 as “war crimes” while condemning Israel’s military response.
Duwaji did not respond to multiple requests for comment and the mayor’s office did not answer questions about her activity or whether the couple discussed the Oct. 7 attacks privately.
“Mayor Mamdani has been clear and consistent: Hamas is a terrorist organization, October 7th was a horrific war crime, and he has condemned that violence unequivocally,” a City Hall spokesperson said in a statement.
Additional Likes and Political Links
The scrutiny extended beyond The Slow Factory to likes of posts from The People’s Forum, described as part of Neville “Roy” Singham’s network of nonprofits that promote pro-China, pro-Russia and pro-Iran propaganda.
It is unclear when she liked those posts, but they were published Oct. 8, 2023, one day after the Hamas attack and highlighted a Times Square rally organized with the Democratic Socialists of America.
Mamdani, then a state assemblymember, publicly criticized that rally at the time for “making light” of Hamas’ massacre of civilians, while the posts Duwaji liked defended the rally and framed Hamas’ actions as justified.
Both captions used the slogan “from the river to the sea,” a phrase often interpreted as calling for Israel’s elimination.
The posts included video of crowds chanting that every occupied people has a right to self-defense and images of signs declaring resistance justified.
Critics say these likes underscore political hypocrisy and undermine Mamdani’s efforts to distance himself from far-left voices that celebrate violence against Israel.
The controversy is likely to fuel further scrutiny as Mamdani leads the city amid questions about his judgment and associations.
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