For the First Time, Mayoral Candidate Cuomo Visits a Mosque in New York — What Are Muslims Saying
The Muslim community members present were
somewhat surprised at Cuomo’s greeting, but everyone kept their eyes on him.
Such a mistake was not entirely unexpected.
Since launching his campaign for mayor of New York, Cuomo has been regularly
visiting churches, synagogues, and Sikh temples. However, this was the first
time—yesterday, Friday—that he went to the Futa Islamic Center in the Bronx for
campaigning. It marked his first election campaign appearance inside a mosque.
Cuomo, who served as governor of New York
State for 10 years, had earlier faced tough questions in a party primary debate
about when he last visited a mosque or interacted with the Muslim community. He
had struggled to answer and faced widespread criticism as a result.
In his Friday speech, Cuomo described New
York as a beacon of opportunity for new immigrants, something that resonated
with many West African immigrant Muslims in the mosque. He said that his
grandfather’s journey from Italy nearly a hundred years ago was similar to the
journeys of these communities. If elected, he promised to ensure that Muslims
in New York would be able to realize the dreams of success they had come for.
Indirectly targeting his main Democratic
rival, Zohran Mamdani, Cuomo pledged to make buses and subways free for
families earning under \$50,000 annually and to work on reducing housing costs.
Zohran Mamdani, who emphasized the issue of
“affordability” and affordable housing, won the Democratic Party’s primary
vote.
Cuomo argued, “People are now talking about
affordable housing. In reality, it’s an old problem with a new name. The real
problem is that middle-class, working families, and the poor are under intense
economic pressure.”
Yesterday, Friday, Cuomo’s appearance before
a few dozen worshippers showed that since losing to Zohran in the Democratic
primary, he has adopted a more direct campaign strategy. Zohran himself is
Muslim and has visited this mosque multiple times.
Recent polls show Cuomo, running as an
independent candidate, trailing far behind the Democratic nominee. Republican
candidate Curtis Sliwa and independent candidate, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams,
are also lagging. On Friday, Adams too campaigned at a nearby mosque, attended
primarily by West African immigrants.
After Cuomo’s speech at the Futa Islamic Center,
mosque leader Mamadou Diallo remarked that it was not surprising for candidates
to visit mosques. “Muslim New Yorkers want their voices heard,” he said. He
added that he hoped, if elected, Cuomo would return and address their concerns
about housing costs and crime.
Diallo, 39, said he was still undecided about
whom to support. However, he noted that many worshippers still have favorable
memories of Cuomo’s tenure as governor.
Boubacar Soulamougoum, a 60-year-old security
guard from Guinea, expressed gratitude that Cuomo had raised the minimum wage
to \$15 during his governorship. “He did good work,” he said.
Others present, however, were less impressed.
Osmané Diallo, a 23-year-old who had supported Zohran Mamdani in the primaries,
dismissed Cuomo’s visit. He felt that showing up this late in the election was
nothing more than opportunism.
“Cuomo’s time is over,” Osmané said. “We need
politicians with new ideas.”
Before the Democratic primaries in June, Cuomo
had claimed the backing of more than 100 religious leaders—including two
Brooklyn imams. But on Friday, in interviews with *The New York Times*, both
imams said they had never endorsed him and that their names had been mistakenly
included.
Muhammad Siddiqi, imam of Brooklyn’s Al-Madina
Mosque, said, “We had expected Cuomo’s campaign team to reach out to us, but
they never did. Then suddenly we saw our names on the list. It feels more like
carelessness than malice. Until we have serious conversations, we are not in a
position to endorse anyone.”
Another imam, Ahmed Ali of Iqra Mosque, echoed
the sentiment: “My experience was the same. It was a misunderstanding. The
former governor should have come and spoken with us directly.”
Cuomo’s spokesperson, Rich Azzopardi, admitted
the names had been mistakenly included. Internal campaign correspondence
reviewed by *The New York Times* revealed that confusion between two staffers
had caused the error.
Before Cuomo’s remarks on Friday, a local lawyer
gave a speech to worshippers about recent changes to immigrant detention policy
under the Trump administration. Afterward, dozens of worshippers asked for his
business card, and many photographed it.
During Trump’s first term, Cuomo had strongly
opposed the travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority countries, which was
later overturned. He had also supported the construction of a mosque near the
site of the former World Trade Center (Twin Towers).
But his rivals in the Democratic Party
primary—particularly Zohran Mamdani—argued that his failure to visit a mosque
or Islamic cultural center during his campaign proved he was out of touch with
the city’s diversity.
Cuomo had faced similar criticism while serving
as governor. In the 2018 election, Cynthia Nixon accused him of failing to
engage with Muslim New Yorkers. He later visited the Islamic Cultural Center in
Manhattan.
Imam Ali, one of the clerics mistakenly listed
among Cuomo’s supporters, said he was still undecided about whom to endorse.
However, he hoped that all candidates would meet with him and his congregants.
Imam Ali praised Democratic candidate Zohran’s
criticism of Israel and his responses during the primary debate. When asked
where he would go first if elected, Zohran replied that he would stay in New
York. Cuomo, by contrast, said he would go to Israel.
Ali, who immigrated from Pakistan and has lived
in the United States for more than 20 years, said Zohran’s rise was a milestone
for all Muslims.
“People will now say the Muslim vote matters,”
Ali remarked. “We will finally be able to voice our concerns in this city.”
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