Mamdani Shrugs Off Nation Of Islam, Pro-Hamas Ties Flagged Across Dozens Of Staff Picks

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani dismissed a new report from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Monday that flagged antisemitic rhetoric, pro-Hamas statements, and extremist ties among members of his transition team.

The ADL’s latest “Mamdani Monitor” report reviewed the social media activity of more than 400 individuals tapped to serve in volunteer roles on Mamdani’s transition committees. At least 20% of those appointees have documented histories of engaging in antisemitic, anti-Zionist, or anti-Israel activity, including posts praising Hamas-linked “resistance” following the group’s Oct. 7 terror attack, according to the group.

The report was released less than a week after Mamdani’s former director of appointments, Catherine Da Costa, stepped down following a separate ADL finding that she had previously posted antisemitic, anti-white and anti-police comments online, including one describing Jews as “money hungry.”

Among the examples highlighted in the ADL report is Mohammed Karim Chowdhury, a member of Mamdani’s Committee on Worker Justice and the national secretary of the Alliance of South Asian American Labor. The organization previously shared a post claiming that “Zionists are worse than Haman of ancient times, the Inquisition, and the Nazis,” adding that “Zionists are never Jews,” according to the ADL.

Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari, appointed to the Committee on Youth and Education, participated in a City University of New York encampment earlier this year and posted photos of herself in front of a banner with the phrase “LONG LIVE THE RESISTANCE,” according to the ADL. Her social media activities also include a post of a cartoon depicting Israel as a dog pushing a person representing Palestine off a bed.