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New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is facing criticism over a resurfaced video of him claiming to be the victim of anti-Muslim discrimination in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The video shows Mamdani talking with voters during his campaign for New York State Assembly in February of 2020. He describes a number of instances of alleged discrimination against him and argues that there are “exceptions” to tolerance in America.
Mamdani claims his school teacher took him and another student out of class on 9/11 and warned them that they may face bullying because of the attack.
In another instance, he says he was stopped at an airport when he was 15 and returning to the U.S. with his family. He says security interviewed him in a private room and asked if he had been to a terrorist training camp.
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New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani delivers remarks in the Bronx on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (Fox News Digital/Deirdre Heavey)
“In Uganda, I was Indian. In India, I was Muslim, and then, when we moved to New York, I was all of those things. New York still has something about it that lulls us all into believing that we too can become New Yorkers, no matter where you come from or who you are….” Mamdani says in the video.
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“And yet there would be these multiple moments in my childhood where I was reminded that this promise came with exceptions,” he said.
Zohran Mamdani faced confrontation from protesters in Manhattan over his refusal to fully repudiate Hezbollah, with security forming a protective barrier around the socialist democrat. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Conservative activist Amy Mek was first to share the video in 2020, and she brought attention to it once again on Saturday amid Mamdani’s bid for mayor.
“Five years ago, I warned NYC that Zohran Mamdani was not a ‘progressive’ but a jihadi-Marxist political asset weaponizing 9/11 trauma to capture votes,” Mek wrote on X.
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Mamdani is running for mayor against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent. (Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s campaign for comment.
The video comes after Mamdani faced similar criticism for claiming his aunt stopped taking the subway in New York City after 9/11.
Mamdani said he and his family endured an “undercurrent of suspicion” in the city.
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Vice President JD Vance pushed back on the narrative in a post on X.
“According to Zohran, the real victim of 9/11 was his auntie who got some (allegedly) bad looks,” Vance said.
Fox News’ Greg Norman contributed to this report.
