Despite emphasizing his Muslim background during his campaign, Democrat New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani marked himself as both “Asian” and “African American” on his Columbia University application in 2009, according to The New York Times.
Prior to securing the Democrat mayoral nomination in June, Mamdani ran against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, frequently highlighting his upbringing and Muslim identity to connect with New York City voters. However, according to internal data shared with the NYT from Columbia University’s 2021 data breach, Mamdani selected “Asian” and “Black or African American” as his racial identity on the Ivy League application.
During an interview in response to the NYT’s findings, Mamdani told the outlet he did not consider himself “Black or African American” but rather “an American who was born in Africa.” Acknowledging that he did check off the boxes, the socialist Democrat told the outlet he wrote in “Ugandan,” as the application allowed applicants to provide “more specific information where relevant.”
“Most college applications don’t have a box for Indian-Ugandans, so I checked multiple boxes trying to capture the fullness of my background,” Mamdani said.
“Even though these boxes are constraining, I wanted my college application to reflect who I was,” Mamdani added.
In the 1960s, Columbia began implementing its earliest Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts, including moves to de-emphasize standardized tests and increase recruitment of black students, according to Columbia Magazine. Over time, the university and other institutes went on to expand DEI initiatives, offering potential advantages for diverse applicants.
While campaigning ahead of the Democrat primary, Mamdani frequently referenced being born in Uganda and immigrating to the U.S. at age seven, while also stressing his identity as a Muslim man. In a June interview with an interfaith panel, Mamdani spoke about experiencing Islamophobia after 9/11, according to Religion News.
“It’s a fear that I remember all too well as a young Muslim man growing up in New York City. My aunt, who was a doctor and who wears a hijab, felt like she could not exist in public life anymore,” Mamdani said. “We know that there is no room for this, and, yet, too often, all we offer are our version of thoughts and prayers. It is time to actually act upon these beliefs, because we know from James 2:14 that ‘faith without works is dead.’”
Mamdani told reporters just days before the election that running for the mayoral position took a toll on his private life, saying how his Muslim identity had been attacked by those opposing his campaign, according to CBS News.
“I get messages that say things like the only good Muslim is a dead Muslim. I get threats on my life and on the people that I love, and I try not to talk about it,” Mamdani said.
Mahmood Mamdani, the socialist Democrat’s father, is a renowned postcolonial scholar of Gujarati Shia Muslim background who teaches at Columbia University, while his mother Mira Nair is a well-known Indian‑American filmmaker. After relocating to Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Mamdani attended the Bank Street School, a prestigious private school that costs around $66,000 today, according to Mint.
While Mamdani ultimately did not get accepted to Columbia University, he went on to attend Bowdoin College in Maine.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Bingjiefu He / Wikimedia Commons)
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