An Open Letter to New York Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani
By Mohammed Khaku for New Age Islam
8 December 2025
Dear Mayor-elect Mamdani,
Even though I don’t live in New York City, I’d like to offer my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes as you mark this significant milestone and exciting on a new chapter. Here’s to a future that’s rewarding, joyful, and full of success.
Immigrants in NYC played a major role in pushing back against millionaire Andrew Cuomo. Across the country, in families and communities like those in NYC, deep divisions persist, stirred up by toxic rhetoric from the White House and certain Zionist media outlets.
In the months leading up to your election, through newspapers, speeches, and Zoom forums, you’ve inspired New Yorkers to see you as the right choice to lead America’s largest immigrant city—the city that never sleeps.
Now, as mayor-elect, I urge you to truly listen to the voices of the people—White, Black, Latino, Muslim, and the diverse community of immigrants from around the world who call NYC home—who helped put you in office, instead of catering to powerful lobbies and special interest groups that might lift you to Wall Street’s top floor only to drop you later.
There’s no reason for us to dislike each other. Friendships may have ended, and family bonds may have been strained, but differences in politics, race, religion, or even something as small as my love for plain cheese pizza versus your preference for pepperoni shouldn’t keep us from being friends.
Over the last three decades, we’ve witnessed endless proxy wars, botched foreign policies, environmental degradation, growing inequality, overwhelming student debt, mass deportations, mass incarceration, police violence, corruption, and a skyrocketing national debt driven by the military-industrial complex. Add to that the ongoing tragedies of school shootings and widespread gun violence, and the list keeps growing.
Much of this stems from elected leaders putting the priorities of wealthy lobbyists, special interest groups, and corporations ahead of the public’s needs, chipping away at trust and integrity.
We need a forward-thinking vision, not one that pulls us back into the past. Hopefully, promises will be kept and cities across the USA will be inspired. Zohran, if you want your legacy to endure for generations, don’t let this amazing opportunity pass by.
You have the skills and intellect, but getting through these tough times in an ocean of strong currents takes faith, bold vision, meaningful words, a simple way of living, and plenty of patience, courage, and determination. We’re all in this together—if you go under, we go under; if you swim, we’ll be right there swimming alongside you.
I hope it’s alright to address you directly. I’d like to call you son, as I have one around the same age. Let me begin by sharing who I am and why I’m reaching out. My ancestors journeyed from the shores of Gujarat to Zanzibar and Mombasa, Kenya, much like your parents did as well.
Through political turmoil, Khojas forced to journey around world.
https://www.mcall.com/2016/05/13/mohammed-khaku-through-political-turmoil-khojas-forced-to-journey-around-world/
Zohran, it’s not that you can’t multitask—walk and chew gum. There’s a lot you can get done in your first hundred days, just as you pledged during your campaign.
I’m the grandson of a weary generation that lived through British rule in India. Seeking better opportunities, my forefathers moved to East Africa to help build railways, with many working alongside the British military and witnessing firsthand the cruelty and racism of the regime.
Black communities, particularly the Kikuyu, Luo, and Luhya, displayed remarkable courage and determination, making significant sacrifices to gain independence and break free from choke colonial rule. Many of us grew up under neo-colonial regimes where leaders like Kenyatta, Mobutu, and Moi were ironically celebrated, a sharp contrast to anti-colonial revolutionaries such as Machel (Mozambique), Cabral (Guinea), and Nyerere (Tanzania).
Nelson, Sankara, and Bishop remained steadfast in standing up for the truth and resisting apartheid, even under severe reprisals during Harold Macmillan’s time, when he later led significant decolonization efforts in Africa. His iconic “Wind of Change” speech reflected the sweeping political shifts across the continent, and I hope to witness a similar transformation take place in America.
Zohran, you’re making impressive progress in the U.S. political scene. Seeing your smile and watching your campaign push through to victory brought me so much joy. Before the primaries, I worried that, like many before you, you might be misrepresented as supporting something you don’t believe in. I also feared for the dignity of millions of immigrants, especially in New York City.
Your dedication to advocating for a Free Palestine, alongside championing housing, justice, and immigrant rights, reflects a fresh wave of leadership—built on trust, honesty, transparency, bold progressivism, strong principles, and deep community connections.
I’ve listened to your speeches and interviews, filled with quotes from Dr. MLK, Malcolm X, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, and the poetry of Allamah Iqbal, combined with subtle gestures that have inspired millions of immigrants to admire you. I’ve both feared their unwavering optimism and admired your unmatched ability to mobilize, witnessing how effectively you challenged the dynasty and the Zionist lobby. I’ve also worried for your safety—may Allah, the Almighty, protect you. Ameen!
It was a tough reality to confront. With MLK Day and Black History Month approaching, I realized that the significance of MLK and Malcolm X isn’t just connected to a centuries-old system of neo-colonialism, but also to how we can carry their words into our present, especially in what we view as a time of Zionist genocide.
Going head-to-head with the U.S. political elite has torn away the mask of Zionist neo-colonialism for everyone to witness. You’re caught in the relentless churn of history, carried by forces reshaping the world and systems long overdue for dismantling. And through it all, the question lingers—will history be told by the hunter or the lion?
My son Zohran, whether you’ve experienced wins or losses, you’ve been part of a historic movement taking a long-overdue stand against wealth inequality—Occupy Wall Street. It’s about speaking up, silent no more against a system that holds back the majority, even though that same dissent also fuelled the rise of extremist groups like the Tea Party.
It seems the Zionist population in the U.S. is beginning to catch up with the global resistance, while more of the younger generation focuses on the Free Palestine movement. There’s already talk about decolonizing occupiers, whether in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Kashmir, on Wall Street, or along Billionaires Blvd.
Be firm and resolute when giving the order to arrest Netanyahu, who is accused of being a war criminal and has been indicted by the International Criminal Court.
My son Zohran, the winds of change are softly stirring the dust. We’ve watched people on the move, striving to challenge the very foundations of injustice. You’ve played a role in this pivotal moment on humanity’s stage.
With the spotlight on a resistance movement sparked by an immigrant awakening that spans from Mombasa to Kampala to New York, the world is beginning to take notice of a new fight against wealth in equal
Zohran’s big win in the mayoral race has the privileged elite and their allies in City Hall labelling him an “extremist,” “radical,” or, as Trump puts it, a “communist.” What nonsense! His plan for affordability is far from extreme. He should keep standing firm against those lobbyists.
Zohran’s ideas for “Free Bus Fares,” “Rent Stabilization,” and a “Universal Child Care” program are not only common but also resonate with values embraced by many faiths, particularly Islam. Social democratic nations in Europe and elsewhere, including Canada, have long maintained far more comprehensive social safety nets than what’s being proposed here.
Billionaires, the oligarchy, Wall Street, and big corporations can’t stand the thought of you bringing a strong, steady voice for everyday people—the workers, the poor, and the powerless—right into the halls of political power at City Hall. You’re ready to raise taxes on billionaires and put a stop to insider trading on Wall Street. Fossil fuel billionaires raked in profits by snapping up millions of shares after meeting with top Trump officials.
Wishing you the best in inspiring positive change across the state and nation, fostering a lively and thoughtful democracy through authentic civic engagement. At the core of any true democracy is justice, for without it, there can be no genuine freedom or liberty for the people.
You might enjoy reading *The Voice of Human Justice* by George Jordac and *Nahjul Al-Balagha*, which is a collection of Imam Ali’s sayings. Imam Ali, a true symbol of justice, lived by the principles of human rights and social justice for all to witness. His enduring legacy continues to inspire people to pursue the highest ideals of justice in society, closely reflecting the United Nations’ human rights principles.
The books *Iqtisaduna* (Islamic Economics) and *Falsafatuna* (Economics and Banking) by renowned scholar Baqir al-Sadr offer fascinating insights. They present a critique of European philosophy—particularly capitalism and socialism—through the lens of Islamic thought.
My son anticipates your considered response.
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Mohammed Khaku, who lives in Upper Macungie Township, is active in the Islamic community of the Lehigh Valley.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/current-affairs/york-mayor-elect-zohran-mamdani/d/137927
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