“I was speaking about my ’aunt’ — I was speaking about Zehra Fuhi, my father’s cousin who sadly passed away a few years ago,” Zohran Mamdani admitted Monday, correcting his emotional campaign speech that had riveted listeners just days earlier.
The Democratic mayoral nominee clarified the woman in his post-9/11 hijab story was a distant cousin, not an aunt, sparking accusations of embellishment in a heated New York City race, the Washington Times reported.
Mamdani leads former Gov. Andrew Cuomo by double digits as a self-described democratic socialist, while critics from 9/11 families decry the anecdote as politicizing tragedy. But that wasn’t the only revelation.
Mamdani delivered the tearful speech Friday outside the Islamic Cultural Center of the Bronx, pausing often as he described fear on the subway after the 2001 attacks.
He initially called the woman his aunt, yet his only Muslim aunt, Masuma Mamdani, lived in Tanzania at the time. What drove the switch in family ties?
The clarification followed barbs from Cuomo, who had chuckled at suggestions Mamdani might cheer another 9/11, prompting the socialist’s response on Islamophobia.
What to know: Mamdani now names Zehra Fuhi as the deceased relative, insisting the “aunt” label was casual while slamming Cuomo for dodging his own crises.
“And for the takeaway from my more than 10-minute address about Islamophobia in this race and in this city, to be the question of my aunt, tells you everything about Andrew Cuomo and his inability to reckon with a crisis of his own making,” Mamdani fired back.
That defense echoes his broader refusal to repudiate the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, despite lamenting xenophobia—a stance policy watchers flag as inconsistent. Do you agree with that reasoning? Many readers might not.
Here’s how we got here: Cuomo, running independent after losing the Democratic primary, labeled the speech “all an act” and accused Mamdani of offending Jews citywide.
9/11 widow Terry Strada told the Daily Mail the comparison insulted murder victims’ families, calling Mamdani “a despicable liar” who showed “true colors.”
Cuomo also hit Mamdani’s thin legislative record—three bills passed, worst attendance—and privileged upbringing clashing with socialist rhetoric. And it’s far from over.
For everyday Americans weary of woke spin, the episode underscores why voters demand straight talk on security and history, not teary detours.
Mamdani’s backtrack on the “aunt” detail—echoing that emotional campaign speech—risks eroding his front-runner edge in a city still scarred by 9/11.
The mayoral showdown could hinge on who better honors victims without excusing violence. The next debate might reshape the entire contest.
