Far-left New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is suddenly drawing a bright line between politics and home life — insisting his wife isn’t a public figure even though she’s appeared in glossy magazine spreads and splashy media profiles that introduced the city to its newest political power couple.
The mayor made the claim Friday after fresh backlash erupted over reports that his wife, Syrian-American artist Rama Duwaji, used her Instagram account to “like” posts celebrating the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel.
When asked about the controversy, Mamdani attempted to shut down the line of questioning by framing his spouse as a private citizen.
“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.
He added that as mayor, he believes it’s his job — not hers — to answer political questions.
The explanation has drawn skepticism because Duwaji has hardly remained out of the spotlight.
In December, she appeared on the digital cover of New York Magazine’s The Cut, posing for photos and discussing life alongside the rising leftist politician. She has also been featured in coverage by The New York Times, which spotlighted her artwork and personal style during Mamdani’s early months in office.
In that same magazine profile, Duwaji acknowledged that Mamdani’s political ascent had thrust her into the public eye.
“I realized that it was not just his thing but our thing,” she said while reflecting on the sudden media attention surrounding their relationship.
The renewed scrutiny stems from a report detailing several social media posts Duwaji reportedly liked in the hours following the October 7 attack.
The posts included images and messages framing the Hamas assault — which killed roughly 1,200 people in Israel — as a form of “resistance.” One of the posts she liked described the breach of Israel’s border barrier as “breaking the walls of apartheid.”
Other posts reportedly showed militants celebrating inside captured Israeli military vehicles during the attack.
The revelations have revived scrutiny of Mamdani’s own rhetoric surrounding the conflict.
In the immediate aftermath of the October 7 attack, Mamdani — who was serving as a New York state assemblyman at the time — issued a statement mourning those killed while also criticizing Israeli policies and warning that the situation would lead to more violence.
Two years later, marking the anniversary of the attack, Mamdani again blasted Israel’s war in Gaza, accusing the country of committing “genocide” and citing casualty figures from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
The episode has only intensified scrutiny around the mayor and his inner circle — especially as critics point out that someone featured in glossy magazine profiles doesn’t usually get to retreat behind the label of “private citizen” once controversy erupts.
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