NYC Mayoral Candidate Mamdani's Father Linked to Terror-Tied Anti-Israel Group

Mahmood Mamdani, father of New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, serves on the advisory policy council of the London-based Gaza Tribunal, an organization that accuses Israel of genocide and supports the BDS movement against Israel. The Gaza Tribunal, founded in 2024, aims to promote civil society initiatives to boycott, divest, and sanction Israel amid its conflict with Hamas, and includes members with ties to terrorism such as Sami Al-Arian. Mahmood Mamdani, a Columbia University professor, has drawn significant criticism after a 2004 excerpt from his book resurfaced, in which he described suicide bombers as a category of soldier and argued their actions should be understood as part of modern political violence rather than barbarism. Zohran Mamdani has echoed some of these views by supporting BDS and refusing to explicitly condemn certain phrases linked to Palestinian resistance. The elder Mamdani's association with the Gaza Tribunal and his controversial comments have sparked social media backlash and accusations that his views influence his son's politics. Both Mamdanis have faced calls for scrutiny, with opponents labeling their positions as supportive of terrorism, while supporters dismiss such claims as Islamophobic.