New York will fight Islamophobia, racism against Palestinians, vows Mayor-elect Mamdani

“As Mayor … I will make it my job to cherish, protect, and celebrate all New Yorkers and combat Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism at every corner,” he said overnight Tuesday, relating his conversation with a Palestinian student who faced online harassment and death threats after conspiracy theorists falsely blamed him for a deadly shooting.

Mamdani said on US social media company X that Mustapha Kharbouch, a student at Brown University, was targeted after a photo circulated online showing him wearing a keffiyeh, triggering what the mayor-elect described as Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism.

Kharbouch’s Palestinian heritage was the basis for the doxxing and threats he faced, said Mamdani.

In a phone call, Kharbouch also told the incoming mayor about his academic interests in international relations and anthropology, his summer internship in New York City, and his consideration of pursuing a PhD, as Mamdani related.

“I told Mustapha that we would love to have him back in New York City,” said Mamdani, who made history by being elected the city’s first-ever Muslim mayor.

Mamdani is due to be sworn in on Jan. 1, New Year’s Day.