New York City mayoral candidate for Democratic Party, Zohran Mamdani, has built a reputation for himself as a notorious Hinduphobe masquerading as a ‘modern-day progressive Muslim socialist’. Elections, however, necessitate politicians to either reveal their real raw self or to don a veneer to portray the exact opposite of what they truly are or believe in. Ahead of the November 4 mayoral race, Zohran Mamdani is on a Hindu temple visiting spree to garner support of Hindu New Yorkers.
On 5th October 2025, Mamdani visited two of the oldest Hindu temples in New York’s Flushing, the Sri Maha Vallabha Ganapathy Temple and the Hindu Temple Society of North America. Visuals of him receiving a warm welcome at the temple wearing garland and scarf surfaced online. The people around him were seen holding placards reading “Hindus for Zohran for New York City”.
Interacting with the media, Zohran Mamdani claimed that he is proud his mother, Mira Nair’s Hindu background and despite being a Muslim, he holds Hindu values dear and understands Hinduism. However, his understanding and respect for Hindu values could be understood from the fact that he was wearing shoes inside the Hindu temple while all others were barefoot in accordance with the tradition. If Mamdani had actually learnt about and respected Hindu values, he would not have violated the Hindu norms by wearing shoes inside the temple or perhaps the disrespect was deliberate. In either case, Mamdani’s temple visit was emblematic of tokenism.
Some temple-goers could be seen expressing support for Mamdani’s rent-freeze promises and lauded his temple visit as a bridge-building effort. However, Mamdani’s new-found ahead-of-the-elections-love for Hindus and the latter’s cosying up to the Democrat mayoral candidate glosses over a crucial detail. Mamdani’s track record of Hinduphobic statements.
All it takes a Muslim politician to pose for a picture at a Hindu temple while wearing shoes in utter disrespect, for American Hindus to forget the innate Hinduphobia this Democrat leader harbours and his persistent anti-Hindu activities. This whole “Hindus for Zohran for New York City” thing is like ‘Goats for Bakrid for slaughter’ or ‘Chickens for KFC’.
Zohran Mamdani and his inflammatory rhetoric against Hindus and India
Zohran Mamdani is notorious for a consistent pattern of inflammatory statements directed at Hindus and India. In fact, for a meteoric rise in Islamo-leftist ecosystem be it in the US or in India, slandering Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the most convenient and effective way. At a public forum hosted by New York Focus in May 2025, Mamdani compared PM Modi to Israeli PM Netanyahu, calling him a “war criminal.” The remarks sparked outrage among Indo-American leaders, who accused him of promoting hate and deepening divides.
Zohran Mamdani said in context of the 2002 Gujarat Riots which erupted after Islamists burnt a train bogey full of 59 Hindu pilgrims returning from Ayodhya who were burnt alive. Mamdani claimed that Modi, who was then the Chief Minister of Gujarat, helped the slaughter of Muslims and that hardly any Gujarati Muslims are there. This, however, was blatant lie as the Indian Supreme Court already has given clean chit to PM Modi. Moreover, the population of Muslims in Gujarat, forget decreasing, it has only increased over the years.
This was not an isolated incident. In 2020, Mamdani described Hindus aligned with Modi’s party as “fascists” and berated fellow New York politicians Jenifer Rajkumar and Kevin Thomas for not denouncing Modi. Rajkumar responded at the time by calling his comments “extreme and divisive.”
When Ram Mandir was being built in Ayodhya, he led a rally against it in 2020. At one such protest outside the Indian Consulate, Mamdani accused the Ram mandir temple inauguration of being a “celebration of the destruction of a mosque” and a “tool of oppression.” While he was speaking at the rally, derogatory remarks against Hindus were being raised behind him. The rally was organised by Khalistani elements.
In 2023 as well, when PM Modi was scheduled to visit New York, he spewed venom against him accusing him for the 2002 Gujarat Riots.
Beyond democratic dissent, Mamdani has been slandering Hindus, especially the community’s legal battle to reclaim the birthplace of Lord Ram in Ayodhya.
In January 2024, Mamdani co-organized and endorsed protests in New York City that condemned the consecration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, branding the event as “Hindutva extremism.” The temple—revered by Hindus as the birthplace of Lord Ram—was not just criticized as a political symbol but denounced as a project of “fascism,” equating Hindu religious aspirations with violent majoritarianism.
A video, shot in August 2022, surfaced on social media, showing Mamdani leading a hate mob against the Hindu community at Times Square. Citing “Who are the Hindus? Harami (Bastards),” the mob was heard yelling. It was evident that the dehumanization of the Hindu community by his supporters had Mamdani’s tacit support. He instead began spewing vitriol against the Ram Mandir.
2. In 2020 he led a hate mob against the Hindu community at Times Square, New York.
— Rakesh Krishnan Simha (@ByRakeshSimha) June 25, 2025
“Who are the Hindus? Harami (Bastards),” the mob was heard yelling. Mamdani remained unflinched despite the dehumanisation of the Hindu community by his supporters. He instead began spewing… pic.twitter.com/DPtOrdMmcg
Earlier, Mamdani defended the antisemitic “Globalise the Intifada” cry, which essentially calls for hatred and violence against Jews across the world. He also refused to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist, a common trait among Islamists and their liberal cheerleaders.
Beyond rhetoric, Zohran Mamdani had actively involved in undermining the Hindu American community. In March this year, assembly members Steven Raga, Zohran Mamdani, and Karine Reyes among other cosponsors, introduced bill AB 6920 to add caste as a protected category in New York. Back then, Coalition of Hindus of North America (CohNA) had raised objection to this bill and said that if passed into law, “This bill would unfairly target people of South Asian descent or origin, subject them to additional scrutiny, leave them vulnerable to bullying in schools, and deprive them of their fundamental civil rights in the workplace or elsewhere.”
Not to forget, the Islamist and anti-Hindu lobby in the US has for many years been peddling caste propaganda to malign Hindus.
Zohran Mamdani received funding from anti-India and anti-Hindu lobby
Unsurprisingly, Zohran Mamdani has the backing of anti-India and anti-Hindu lobby of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). As OpIndia reported earlier, Islamist outfit CAIR has contributed $100,000 to New Yorkers for Lower Costs, the largest Parliamentary Action Committee (PAC) backing Zohran Mamdani. The campaign records show that CAIR, through its Unity & Justice Fund, gave ‘gift’ to Mamdani in two instalments. A $25,000 gift on 30th May and a $75,000 donation on 16th June 2025.
Other than CAIR, Anti-Semitic activist Linda Sarsour contributed $2,500 to the Unity & Justice Fund. End the Occupation, affiliated with the anti-Israel group IfNotNow, contributed $1,000 this week. The Truth Project, a New Jersey-based group that accuses Israel of “genocide,” gave $10,000 to New Yorkers for Lower Costs.
OpIndia has reported earlier about the anti-Hindu and anti-India activities of CAIR and IAMC. Interestingly, Zohran Mamdani has also received support, although not financial, from Sunita Vishwanath, the co-founder of Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR), a regime change specialist George Soros-funded anti-Hindu group. HfHR was formed in the year 2019 by two Islamist advocacy groups named Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) and the Organization for Minorities of India (OFMI).
In September 2025, several Hindu intellectuals, retired officers, professionals, and community leaders issued open letters raising concerns over the candidacy of Zohran Mamdani for his Hinduphobic tendencies. Two separate letters, one addressed to India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and another to filmmaker Mira Nair, Mamdani’s mother, have gained wide attention for their strong language and the list of signatories attached to them.
‘Hindus for Zohran’ is same as ‘chickens for KFC’
The Hindus of New York need to be cautious about supporting the likes of Zohran Mamdani who vilify Hindus as a hobby, call them ‘Harami’, glorify Islamic terrorists while villainising the democratically elected Prime Minister of India. While now the BAPS is welcoming Mamdani, confusing his pre-poll temple-run for a serious outreach visit to bridge the gap, he did not back BAPS when false caste discrimination case was brought against them. In fact, his sponsoring of the anti-Hindu AB6920 Bill demonstrates he will actively undermine Hindu interests. Hindus must stop this ‘Hindus for Zohran for New York’ self-sabotage.
