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Islamist NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s Father Mahmood Mamdani Is On Gaza Tribunal With Hamas-Linked Operative Ramy Abdu

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The Commune
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Islamist NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s Father Mahmood Mamdani Is On Gaza Tribunal With Alleged Hamas Operative Ramy Abdu

Mahmood Mamdani, a professor at Columbia University and father of New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, appears on the advertised Advisory Policy Council of the Gaza Tribunal (a non-binding “people’s tribunal” on Gaza). His listing is alongside Ramy Abdu, described in some reports as an Israel-designated operative of Hamas in Europe.

The Tribunal’s October 2025 Istanbul session is reported to have included speakers with past affiliations or convictions connected to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). For example:

  • Sami Al-Arian (convicted 2006 in U.S. for services to PIJ).
  • Sahar Francis (head of Addameer, designated U.S. supporter of PFLP).
  • Ramzy Baroud (editor of The Palestine Chronicle, alleged past employment links with a Hamas operative).
Image Source: Gaza Tribunal

While the Tribunal presents itself as a human-rights forum, critics point to what they describe as its “infested” mix of figures with terror-designated affiliations.

Mahmood Mamdani’s participation has been flagged in this context, though no public statement appears from him defending specific affiliations with Hamas or these speakers.

Notable Past Commentary

Mahmood Mamdani has drawn considerable attention for his academic writings. In his 2004 book Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror, he wrote that “[s]uicide bombing needs to be understood as a feature of modern political violence rather than stigmatized as a mark of barbarism. We need to recognise the suicide bomber, first and foremost, as a category of soldier.”

Mahmood Mamdani even authored a book arguing that Muslims are not inherently responsible for jihadist violence and claiming that figures like Osama bin Laden were products of U.S. foreign policy – specifically, American intelligence operations during the Cold War.

This framing, critics say, aligns with narratives used by militant groups to legitimise violence; supporters argue it is an analytical viewpoint on non-state violence rather than an endorsement.

Zohran Mamdani’s Campaign, Positions and Controversies

Zohran Mamdani, a state assembly member in New York and Democratic candidate for New York City mayor in 2025, has come under scrutiny for his positions on Israel and Palestine and his father’s associations.

Zohran’s “love” for Jews has a long history. In a past podcast appearance, Zohran Mamdani made a controversial remark about his Israeli math teacher, joking that the teacher was skilled at following him because he had “tailed brown guys for a long time” while serving in the IDF, indicative of his “love” and fixation on Jewish identity.

In a television interview, he is seen saying, ”

He has declined to unequivocally condemn the phrase “globalize the Intifada,” a slogan used by some pro-Palestinian groups and considered by many Jewish organisations as euphemistic for violence.

A 2017 rap song resurfaced in which Mamdani allegedly expressed support for the “Holy Land Five,” leaders of a now-defunct foundation convicted of funneling money to Hamas.

His affiliations with organisations such as the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) have drawn scrutiny from pro-Israel groups that view them as aligned with extremist or anti-Zionist agendas.

Zohran Mamdani was the keynote speaker at the DSA convention in 2023. In his speech he made sure to call out Zionists. In the clipping viral on social media he is seen saying, “I recall in 2017 when I was working on the (unclear) team campaign for City Council, a campaign which changed my life. If you don’t clap, you’re a Zionist. It’s a joke, you don’t have to clap”.

But according to his fans, he was “just joking.”

Media reports also note that following his primary win, there was an alleged surge in anti-Muslim harassment towards him, including death threats and comparisons to September 11 attackers. He twisted that and cried over how his aunt (later found to be his dad’s cousin who died a few years ago) found it difficult to wear a hijab and travel in the subway after the terror attack.

Mamdani has stated he supports universal human rights and “justice and safety” for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
YouTube

However, when pressed if Hamas should disarm, if hamas must lay down their weapons and leave the leadership in Gaza, he said, “I believe that any future here in New York City is one that is affordable for all and that pertains to Israel and Palestine that we have to ensure that there is peace and that is the future that we have to fight for.” When pressed for an answer on the disarmament of Hamas, he replied, “I don’t really have opinions about the future of Hamas and Israel beyond the question of justice and safety and the fact that anything has to abide by international law, and that applies to Hamas, that applies to Israeli military, applies to anyone you could ask me about.”

Critics interpreted this as evasive. On election-related commentary, he noted that Israel is committing genocide — a view aligned with hard-left pro-Palestinian activists.

Here are some more gems.

He even sat down for an interview with Hasan Piker who mentioned that his favourite flag was that of Hezbollah.

He even called Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal“.

Like Father Like Son & Vice-Versa

Opponents of Mamdani point to the combination of his campaign, his father’s involvement in the Gaza Tribunal, and the shared broad pro-Palestinian posture as indicative of potential alignment with radical causes. Supporters counter that many claims are exaggerated or part of Islamophobic/antisemitic attack campaigns. A commentary in In These Times referred to some of the criticism as “weaponised” identity politics.

Mahmood Mamdani, in an interview, is seen saying, “I do not see a rise of antisemitism, I see a rise of anti-Zionism, the two things are very different. They are not the same.”

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Ramy Abdu: Designation and Affiliations

Ramy Abdu, chairman of the Geneva-based NGO EuroMed Human Rights Monitor, sits alongside Mahmood Mamdani on the Gaza Tribunal Advisory Policy Council.

Reportedly, Israel designated Abdu in 2013 as a member of a Hamas European operative network; he is said to have family ties to senior Hamas figures and has made statements eulogising individuals killed in Hamas/Al-Qassam operations.

His presence in the Tribunal and alongside Mamdani forms a focal point of the allegation that Mamdani is aligned with Hamas-linked networks.

Interpretation and Implications

Mamdani’s ideological alignment with terrorist-linked groups?

Critics argue that the confluence of:

  • Mahmood Mamdani’s association with a body (Gaza Tribunal) that features speakers with terror-designated ties,
  • Zohran Mamdani’s campaign rhetoric and social affiliations, and
  • Ramy Abdu’s Hamas-linked background, point to a broader ideological alignment with radical Islamist/anti-Israel causes.

With Zohran Mamdani running for NYC mayor, a city with a large Jewish population, the associations have become a point of concern in Jewish and pro-Israel communities. Some commentators have labelled Mamdani’s campaign a potential risk to Jewish safety and communal relations.

With America going the UK way of electing Islamist Mayors, it is time to take a step back and look at how “safe” Jews are in an Islamist UK.

The links and associations between Mahmood Mamdani, Zohran Mamdani and Ramy Abdu have raised consistent scrutiny in media, academic and political circles. Whether these associations amount to ideological complicity, activism, or academic participation remains heavily contested. What is clear is that the narrative has become a central issue in the 2025 NYC mayoral campaign and wider debates on antisemitism, pro-Palestinian activism and the overlap of academia and political movements.

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