While New York City’s Mayor — self-described democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani — spent the week touting his plan to fight antisemitism, his wife Rama Duwaji was rubbing elbows with Islamists who have celebrated terrorists and called for Israel’s destruction.
Duwaji, as reported by several sources, spent the week as an “artist-in-residence” at a ritzy Islamic wellness retreat housed in a repurposed 18th-century Portuguese castle near Porto. The Women Sanctuary, founded by “Paris-based creative” Rym Nur, promotes “sisterhood and spiritual connection” and charges attendees $5,216 for five nights in a private room.
At the heart of our sanctuary lies the journey back to the fitrah. In the Islamic tradition, the fitrah is the original essence placed within every human by God, a pure, innate disposition drawn toward truth, goodness, and an intimate awareness of the Divine.
The pop-up retreats, which feature Islam heavily, are often held in locations throughout southern Europe that were once ruled by the pre-Crusades Arab caliphates. Statements from the Women Sanctuary suggest the group favors a return to the caliphates. One such statement, regarding a recent retreat held in Mallorca, read, “We gathered to reclaim our history.”
The group’s social media posts offer a stark contrast to its promises of spiritual renewal.
Nur refers to the retreats as an “ode to Allah” and, as The Washington Free Beacon reported, the Women Sanctuary has published posts calling for the abolition of Israel as a Jewish state.
“Abolish the colonial apartheid state of Israel. Free Palestine,” one post read, in part. Other social media posts include the antisemitic phrase “from the river to the sea” — or call on Allah to “cleanse Palestine” of “oppressors.”
“May the winds of freedom sweep across Palestine, ushering in the complete and rightful restoration of the land’s true stewards,” another post read.
The group also praised Palestinian extremist Ahed Tamimi while promoting her book at the Women Sanctuary just weeks after the October 7 massacre: “Ahed Tamimi showed the world more than once what it looks like when you refuse to consent to your own obliteration.”
Around the same time, the Israeli military claimed that Tamimi posted on Instagram, “We are waiting for you in all the West Bank cities from Hebron to Jenin — we will slaughter you and you will say that what Hitler did to you was a joke, we will drink your blood and eat your skulls, come on, we are waiting for you.”
Tamimi was arrested on suspicion of inciting terrorism over the post. Her mother said the account had been “hacked.” Tamimi was later freed as part of a deal that returned some of the hostages taken by Hamas terrorists to Israel.
Duwaji, who previously faced backlash for “liking” posts that celebrated the October 7 massacre, is listed as a member of the Women Sanctuary team. The Free Beacon reported that her listing appeared under the name “Karl Holland.”
According to the Free Beacon, New York City’s Houston-born first lady calls herself a “Syrian illustrator and animator” and was believed to be doing calligraphy at the event.
Duwaji also attended the Mallorca retreat in July, drawing criticism for missing the July 4 America 250 celebrations.
Meanwhile, the mayor rolled out his plan to fight growing antisemitism in New York City — but critics say it falls far short of what is truly needed.
“I sat with the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism in July and told them what Jewish teachers and families need: a definition of the hate, an honest reckoning with anti-Zionism, and real security for synagogues and schools,” Moshe Spern, the president of United Jewish Teachers, told the New York Post. “What the mayor announced today does none of that.”
.png)
.png)
