A bombshell report has just dropped, linking the family of New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani to millions in funding from Qatar, a nation with well-documented ties to Hamas.
According to Daily Mail, this explosive story, uncovered by the New York Post, centers on Mamdani, a 33-year-old far-left politician who stunned the political world by defeating Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic nomination race, and his filmmaker mother, Mira Nair, whose financial ties to Qatari elites are raising eyebrows.
Mamdani, currently a member of the New York State Legislature, has built a campaign on progressive policies like raising taxes on the wealthy by $9 billion to fund fare-free buses and free child care, alongside more controversial stances such as defunding the NYPD.
His platform doesn’t stop at economics—Mamdani has also pushed for $65 million in transgender care funding and even city-owned grocery stores, ideas that many hardworking New Yorkers might find more utopian than practical.
More divisive still are his outspoken anti-Israel views, including labeling Israel’s actions in Gaza as a 'genocide' and advocating for a state with equal rights rather than a Jewish identity, positions that have fueled tension in the mayoral race.
While Mamdani’s supporters may see him as a bold voice for the marginalized, critics argue his rhetoric, including a vow to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he sets foot in the city, risks alienating a broad swath of voters.
Enter the real twist: Mamdani’s mother, Mira Nair, has been bankrolled by Qatari elites since at least 2019, receiving substantial sums from Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani, sister of Qatar’s ruling emir, and state-controlled cultural entities.
Back in 2009, Nair’s film 'Amelia' premiered at the inaugural Doha Tribeca Film Festival, an event orchestrated by Sheikha Al-Thani’s Doha Film Institute, marking the start of a lucrative relationship.
By 2012, the Doha Film Institute fully funded Nair’s 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist' with a staggering $15 million budget, a level of support that suggests more than just artistic appreciation.
The collaboration didn’t end there—Nair’s Maisha Film Labs in East Africa and Doha hosted training 'boot camps' for Qatari screenwriters and filmmakers, underwritten by the same institute.
In 2022 and 2023, a company Nair, established in India, did $102,000 in business with Agence Publics Qatar, an event firm tied to Qatar Engineering & Construction Co., further entangling her with Qatari interests.
During the 2022 World Cup, marred by reports of human rights abuses against migrant workers, Nair directed a stage adaptation of her film 'Monsoon Wedding,' produced by state-owned Qatar Airways and Sheikha Al-Thani’s Qatar Creates as part of the festivities.
Sheikha Al-Thani herself has boosted Mamdani’s campaign on social media, posting Instagram Stories about his polling numbers and dropping fire emojis under a TikTok featuring him and Nair—hardly the subtle endorsement one might expect from a foreign dignitary.
Let’s not sidestep the bigger picture: Qatar, a monarchy ruled by Sheikha Al-Thani’s brother, has openly engaged with Hamas, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. since 1997, even acting as a mediator in ceasefire talks with Israel. While some defend Qatar’s role as diplomatic, others see it as a troubling alignment with a group responsible for the October 7, 2023, attack that killed over 1,000 Israelis and took hundreds hostage, sparking the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
Mamdani’s campaign has pushed back, with spokeswoman Dora Pekec stating, “The attempt to weaponize his mother’s career against him is an insult to voters.” But let’s be real—when your family’s benefactor is a state with such controversial ties, New Yorkers deserve to ask whether those connections influence a candidate’s worldview, especially one so vocal on Palestinian causes.
