Here’s Who Mayor Zohran Mamdani Hosted In His Home For Ramadan

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing renewed scrutiny after hosting a highly controversial guest at the official mayoral residence during Ramadan. Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian-born activist who has been accused by federal officials of sympathizing with Hamas, attended a dinner at Gracie Mansion alongside his wife and young son.

The mayor publicly celebrated the gathering on social media, posting a photo of the evening and praising Khalil in glowing terms. In the post, Mamdani wrote that he and his wife, Rama Duwaji, were “honored” to welcome Khalil, his wife Noor, and their son Deen to break their fast together during the holy month of Ramadan.

The dinner also marked what Mamdani described as the one-year anniversary of Khalil’s detention by federal authorities.

“Last night, as we marked the one year anniversary of his detention, Rama and I were honored to welcome Mahmoud, Noor, and their son Deen to Gracie Mansion to break our fast together,” Mamdani wrote on Instagram.

The image accompanying the post shows Khalil seated at the table smiling broadly while eating, with the mayor’s wife standing nearby holding a plate of food.

Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement early last year. Federal officials accused him of committing fraud on his green card application, placing him at risk of deportation. The Trump administration also argued that Khalil’s views and public activism could threaten U.S. foreign policy interests, invoking a rarely used legal statute that allows noncitizens to be deported for such concerns.

The case quickly became a flashpoint in the broader debate surrounding campus activism, immigration enforcement, and the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Critics point to Khalil’s own remarks about the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attacks against Israel as particularly troubling. In an interview with The New York Times, Khalil appeared to frame the massacre as an inevitable escalation in the Palestinian struggle.

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t avoid such a moment,” he said when asked about the attack.