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.

Another appointee flagged was Kazi Fouzia, the director of organizing at DRUM Beats and a member of Mamdani’s Committee on Worker Justice. Fouzia posted on Facebook less than a day after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel that “Resistance are [sic] Justified when people are occupied.”

The ADL also found that at least four transition appointees have ties to the Nation of Islam or its longtime leader, Louis Farrakhan, who has a lengthy history of antisemitic rhetoric. One of those appointees, Committee on Legal Affairs member Jacques Léandre, is a Nation of Islam member who attended the group’s 2022 Saviours’ Day conference, where Farrakhan allegedly railed against “the Jews and their power,” according to the ADL.

Other appointees cited for ties to Farrakhan include former Women’s March organizer Tamika Mallory, appointed to the Committee on Community Safety, and Mysonne Linen, appointed to the Committee on the Criminal Legal System. Mallory has repeatedly declined to condemn Farrakhan when confronted with his antisemitic remarks, while Linen has spoken at and helped organize Nation of Islam events.

Mamdani brushed off the ADL’s findings when asked about the report during a Monday press conference on an unrelated transition announcement.

“We must distinguish between antisemitism and criticism of the Israeli government,” Mamdani said, accusing the ADL of blurring that line and diverting attention from what he described as a broader national rise in antisemitism.

The Democratic Socialist did not specify whether any of the individual examples cited in the report crossed the line, instead saying his transition committees reflect a “wide variety of political opinion, even within our own 400-plus transition committee.”

The findings come as Mamdani continues outreach to Jewish communities ahead of his Jan. 1 inauguration, including meetings with local leaders and a Hanukkah video message.

Mamdani has faced repeated criticism for failing to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which is widely seen as a call to violence against Jews. During his campaign, Mamdani also appeared alongside Muslim cleric Siraj Wahhaj — who has been linked to individuals involved in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and other terror plots — referring to him as “one of the nation’s foremost Muslim leaders.”

The mayor-elect has also drawn scrutiny for appointing controversial figures to his transition team, including criminology professor Alex Vitale, who has described police officers as “violence workers.”

A spokesperson for Mamdani did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.