Zohran Mamdani, the frontrunner in New York’s mayoral race, has come under fire after meeting with Imam Siraj Wahhaj — a cleric who once declared that “Islam is superior to democracy.”
Wahhaj also testified in defense of the “Blind Sheikh,” Omar Abdel-Rahman, convicted for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The imam has publicly supported the implementation of Sharia law in the US.
Mamdani, who praised Wahhaj’s “service to the community,” faces growing criticism from Jewish and moderate groups accusing him of legitimizing extremist ideologies.
Many see the incident as another sign of New York’s moral and political decline — a city once known as the world’s capital, now struggling under the weight of Islamist and progressive influences.