New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Friday that his wife’s private views should not be tied to his leadership of the city after questions surfaced about her social media activity following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks in Israel.
Mamdani addressed the issue during a news conference after being asked about Instagram posts liked by his wife, Rama Duwaji, The New York Times reported. The activity was highlighted in a report that said Duwaji liked several posts supportive of the Palestinian cause shortly after the Hamas-led attack on Israel.
Israeli authorities say roughly 1,200 people were killed in the attack and 251 people were taken hostage. Israel responded with a military campaign in Gaza that destroyed much of the infrastructure and took out key government leaders.
Mamdani defended his wife, saying she is “a private person” and does not hold any official role in his administration or his political campaigns.
“My wife is the love of my life and she’s also a private person who has held no formal position on my campaign or in my City Hall,” Mamdani said.
“I, however, was elected to represent all eight and a half million people in this city, and I believe that it’s my responsibility, because of that role, to answer any questions about my thoughts and my policies and my decisions.”
The mayor noted that he and Duwaji were not married at the time the social media activity occurred. The couple married in early 2025. Mamdani did not enter the Democratic primary for mayor until October 2024.
One of the posts liked by Duwaji was shared by The Slow Factory, a social justice nonprofit. The post showed a bulldozer that appeared to be breaching the barrier between Israel and Gaza. The caption read, “Breaking the walls of apartheid and military occupation,” along with the date of the Oct. 7 attack.
Duwaji liked the post but did not publicly comment on it.
Another post she liked showed people celebrating on top of what appeared to be an Israeli military vehicle with the words “Free Palestine” beneath the image.
The report also cited posts she liked that described resistance as an act of “self defense” and a “human right” for people living under occupation.
Duwaji, who is of Syrian descent, did not respond to requests for comment, reports said. A City Hall spokeswoman said Friday that she had no comment.
Mamdani, New York City’s first Muslim mayor and a democratic socialist, has long been outspoken about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He has repeatedly criticized Israel’s policies toward Palestinians and has described the war in Gaza as genocide. He has also said he does not believe Israel should be a Jewish state.
Those views became a major issue during the mayoral race. His chief rival, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and a super PAC backing him spent millions of dollars on ads that implied Mamdani held antisemitic views.
Supporters of Mamdani say he has consistently called for peace and safety for both Israelis and Palestinians.
Sophie Ellman Golan, director of strategic communications at Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, said Mamdani has been clear about his position.
“He has been really outspoken in calling for a cease-fire and freedom and safety for Palestinians and Israelis alike,” Ellman Golan said.
She added that he has also mourned those killed in the Oct. 7 attack while acknowledging the large number of Palestinians killed during the war in Gaza.
Following Mamdani’s victory last year, the Anti-Defamation League launched a website called the Mamdani Monitor to track actions by his administration that it says could raise concerns about antisemitism.
An ADL spokesman declined to comment on Duwaji’s social media activity.