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New Yorkers woke up this weekend to a picture that should frighten any patriot: Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic socialist who’s risen to the top of the mayoral heap, smiling arm-in-arm with Imam Siraj Wahhaj at Masjid At-Taqwa. Mamdani proudly posted the photo and praised Wahhaj as a “pillar” of the Bed-Stuy community, a move that instantly ignited outrage from voters who remember the stakes of past terror attacks.
This isn’t some harmless meet-and-greet; Siraj Wahhaj’s name has long been tied to the darkest chapters of recent terror history — he was listed by prosecutors as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, a label that should make any serious public official think twice before embracing him. Even more damning, members of Wahhaj’s own extended circle were convicted in relation to the New Mexico compound case where children were terror-trained and a little boy tragically died, convictions documented by the Department of Justice. Voters deserve leaders who avoid any optics that normalize or excuse those connections.
Conservative and law-and-order voices across the city and country have rightly called Mamdani’s decision reckless and tone-deaf, arguing that smiling alongside figures with these stains on their record is disqualifying for someone who would swear an oath to protect New Yorkers. Retired federal agents, local leaders and rivals have all piled on, warning that optics matter and that leadership requires judgment, not political grandstanding. The backlash isn’t partisan nitpicking — it’s common-sense outrage from people who remember what’s at risk.
This episode is part of a broader pattern: Mamdani has tried to straddle radical street cred and mainstream respectability, from past tweets calling the NYPD “racist” to recent soft apologies on cable to placate nervous voters. An apology on Fox News this month didn’t erase earlier rhetoric, and now this mosque photo raises fresh questions about whether he’s sincere about public safety or just performing for the activist base. New Yorkers shouldn’t be forced to play political roulette with a candidate whose associations raise real alarms.
Make no mistake — this is about competence and courage. A mayor must stand unequivocally with law enforcement and with the safety of every child on our streets, not flash a political grin beside a man tied by prosecutors to terror networks and to a family tragedy that reads like a terror training manual. The voters who sweep Mamdani into office based on slogans will wake up to a city less safe and more divided if he keeps courting people with dangerous histories.
Conservative patriots and decent, hardworking New Yorkers should demand clarity and accountability: explain why you embraced this imam, show us you condemn the actions and rhetoric tied to him in plain terms, and answer whether your loyalties are to the citizens who pay the bills and police the streets or to a radical fringe. If Mamdani won’t provide that simple assurance, voters should reject the risk and choose a leader who puts safety, common sense, and American values first.
