NYC Mayor Condemns Tuberville's Anti-Muslim Posts

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has strongly condemned Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville for a series of anti-Muslim social media posts, calling them bigotry. The controversy stems from a post by Tuberville that juxtaposed an image of Mamdani with the September 11, 2001 terror attacks and included the caption 'the enemy is inside the gates.'

Mamdani, who is New York City's first Muslim mayor, has been vocal about facing prejudice during Ramadan. Speaking at an iftar dinner on Thursday evening, Mamdani addressed the broader issue of Islamophobia in America: 'When I hear such hatred and disdain unchecked in its rancor, I feel a loneliness and isolation that I know many of you have felt as well.'

Tuberville's post has drawn widespread condemnation from Democrats. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer described Tuberville's statements as 'mindless hate' and emphasized the contributions of Muslim Americans to society. Other prominent figures, including Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Grace Meng, also denounced Tuberville's remarks.

Tuberville has defended his comments, asserting that calling out 'Radical Islam' does not make him an Islamophobe. He further argued that Radical Islam is incompatible with the U.S. Constitution and has no place in America. Despite the backlash, Tuberville shows no signs of backing down from his statements.

Islamophobic incidents in 2025 reached a record high, according to a study issued this week by the Islamic advocacy group Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). The group added Tuberville to its list of anti-Muslim extremists in the United States, marking the first time it has designated a U.S. senator as such.

Other Republican lawmakers have echoed similar rhetoric. Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee posted on X that 'Muslims don't belong in American society' and later doubled down with 'Muslims are unable to assimilate; they all have to go back.' Democrats have filed two censure resolutions against Ogles for his verbal attacks on Muslims, specifically targeting Mamdani. Rep. Shri Thanedar of Michigan described Ogles' words as inciting hatred against millions of Muslim Americans.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson declined to condemn Ogles' remarks, stating that while the language used was different from what he would use, it raised serious issues. CAIR's Robert McCaw criticized politicians seeking to ban Muslims and impose their own religious agendas. Other Republicans, including Reps. Andrew Clyde of Georgia and Chip Roy of Texas, have also made posts targeting Islam.

The derogatory language has been percolating among Republican officials for months, often prominent when criticizing New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who is Muslim. But against the backdrop of the Iran war, a country with an overwhelmingly Muslim population, and attacks at a synagogue in Michigan and a college in Virginia, the tone sharpened this week.

For many Muslims, it’s a political moment that carries echoes from the early 2000s, when the Sept. 11 attacks and the Afghanistan and Iraq wars generated hostility toward Muslim communities in the United States, often accompanied by discrimination and racist violence.