US-based YouTuber Nate Friedman has highlighted what he described as the “Islamic takeover” of parts of New York City, documenting the growing presence of Muslim migrants, halal businesses, mosques and Islamic religious activity in Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
Friedman’s report comes after Zohran Mamdani became New York City’s mayor, raising fresh questions over the direction of a city now led by a politician whose past statements and associations point to sympathy towards Islamist and terrorist-linked causes.
In his latest video, Friedman visited a Manhattan neighbourhood where large groups of Muslim migrants gather around a mosque. He documented streets crowded with bicycles, halal food businesses and people attending prayers, while examining how the area has changed and what the growing presence of Islamic institutions could mean for New York under Mamdani.
Friedman said New York City had become “unrecognizable” and alleged that parts of Manhattan were being “sacrificed to Islam”. His investigation examined how migrants had arrived in the area, the political and religious views expressed by some people he interviewed, and how Islamic institutions were being funded.
Mosque Renovation And Foreign Donations
Friedman then turned his attention to the mosque and its ongoing renovation.
A person associated with the mosque told him that renovation work was underway but that additional funds were required. According to the interview, around $2.5 million had already been raised, while another $4 million was needed.
The interviewee said some donors had contributed amounts as high as $100,000 and identified Arab countries, including Egypt and Morocco, as sources of donations.
Friedman questioned how large-scale mosque projects are funded in the United States and argued that greater scrutiny was needed into the sources of such donations.
Call To Prayer In Manhattan
The video also examined the possibility of broadcasting the Islamic call to prayer, or adhan, from the mosque.
When asked whether he wanted the call to prayer to be broadcast outside the mosque, the mosque president responded that he would welcome it if permitted by the city.
Friedman highlighted the implications of broadcasting the call to prayer in a densely populated Manhattan neighbourhood and questioned how non-Muslim residents would respond to early-morning broadcasts.
Sharia And Political Influence
Friedman also questioned people in the area about Sharia and the future of Islam in New York.
One person interviewed said he would support a political candidate seeking to establish Sharia in the United States. Friedman subsequently linked the response to broader concerns about the political influence of the growing Muslim population.
Friedman also questioned migrants about their political preferences and whether they would vote Democrat after obtaining US citizenship. He argued that large-scale migration could influence the political character of American cities.
Migrants From Africa And Muslim Countries
During his reporting, Friedman interviewed several migrants living in or visiting the area.
One man identified himself as being from Sudan and said he had come to the United States seeking asylum. Friedman noted that several of the migrants he spoke to were from African or Muslim-majority countries.
A worker at a nearby pizza shop also told Friedman that many people visiting the area were from Africa. The shop worker expressed concern that a large concentration of bicycles could discourage customers from entering businesses.
Friedman Warns Of Wider Change
Friedman argued that the transformation of one street could eventually spread to surrounding neighbourhoods.
He pointed to businesses that had closed in the vicinity and claimed that the growing concentration of migrants, bicycles, halal businesses and Islamic institutions could gradually alter the wider Lower East Side.
Coming after Mamdani’s election as mayor, Friedman’s report presents these demographic and cultural changes as part of a larger question over the direction of New York City. He questioned whether the city’s political leadership would act to prevent what he described as the continued transformation of the area.
Mamdani’s Islamic Agenda
When Mamdani was campaigning to be NYC Mayor, one of his key legislative pushes was forcing all NYC public schools to serve halal food. He framed it as “inclusion,” but this is a Trojan Horse for Islamization. Halal certification is controlled by groups with ties to extremist funding networks. It seemed to set a precedent for religious imposition on taxpayer-funded institutions, while Christian and Jewish dietary laws are ignored.
WARNING NYC 🚨 Zohran Mamdani Isn’t Running a Campaign — He’s Leading an Islamic Political Insurgency
What we’re witnessing in New York isn’t a mayoral race. It’s civilizational jihad, and Zohran Mamdani is its smiling face.
At a Brooklyn press conference, Mamdani didn’t just… pic.twitter.com/KDMHC4XWeb
— Amy Mek (@AmyMek) June 18, 2025
On 11 March 2026, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani hosted an official Ramadan iftar inside New York City Hall, described by his own team as welcoming Ramadan into “the people’s house”. The event was covered warmly by Western media, celebrated on social platforms, and framed as historic, inclusive, and progressive.
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