Zohran Mamdani, the socialist candidate for mayor of New York City, is under fire after his remarks were re-surfaced. His mother, Mira Nair (a filmmaker), described her son as a “total desi” in a language that critics claim drips with disdain towards America.
Nair boasted in 2013 in an interview with Hindustan Times that Mamdani, a 21 year old student at Bowdoin College who was active in the fight against Israel. He also co-founded the chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine in the college.
“Completely. “We aren’t firangs. We are very close to him. He’s not even an Uhmerican (American). Born in Uganda and raised between India, America and Uganda. He feels at home everywhere. Nair stated that he considers himself both an Indian and a Ugandan.
Firang is the term used in Hindi and Urdu to refer to Westerners. But some claim it has a darker meaning.
Mehek Cooe, a GOP strategist and Indian-born lawyer, told Fox News Digital that “it’s a word in India used to ridicule outsiders or to tell them they don’t fit in.” It’s the same as using a derogatory term to describe someone who was raised in America. This is sarcastic, divisive and full of contempt towards the country which gave you family a better future.
Cooke did not hold back. She said that when Mamdani’s mother claims her son is ‘never been a firang, and only desi’ this represents a rejection by America. It’s disrespectful and repulsive that someone who has lived in America since the age of seven and received every opportunity, freedom and education America provides, would still refuse to be an American.
Mamdani was naturalized by the U.S. in 2018 after he moved there as a young child. He is now 33 years old. Mamdani’s mother, known for movies like Monsoon Wedding, made it clear that his family was very attached to its Indian roots. In the same interview she stated that “We speak only Hindustani in our home.” She described her son as “a very chaalu guy,” which is a term used to describe someone who’s clever, street-smart or smart.
Critics say that the remarks of a candidate for the top job in America’s largest city raises a fundamental question: If your mother says you are “not American at all,” then why would New Yorkers think otherwise?
