Summary
Zohran Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, apologized for hurtful social media posts she made as a teenager, which included racial slurs and support for Palestinian militants from a group labeled terrorist by the U.S. These posts resurfaced recently and drew public criticism. Mamdani, New York City’s mayor, has defended her as a private individual not involved in his political work.
Key Facts
- Rama Duwaji expressed shame and apologized for past social media posts made when she was about 15 years old.
- The posts included racial and homophobic slurs and praise for militants from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a group designated as terrorist by the U.S.
- The social media account with the posts was deleted after the reports appeared.
- Newsweek could not independently confirm that the accounts belonged to Duwaji, though another outlet linked them using facial recognition.
- Mamdani has been New York City’s mayor since January, noted as the first Muslim and democratic socialist in the role.
- Duwaji is an artist focused on Arab identity and social justice themes, and Mamdani said she is not involved in his campaign or City Hall.
- Criticism also arose over some of Duwaji’s more recent social media activity related to the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.
- Duwaji said she wants to focus on her art and not be a public figure.
