New Delhi, 26 Oct

US Vice President JD Vance mocked New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani after the latter delivered an emotional speech recalling his Muslim aunt’s fear of wearing a hijab in the aftermath of the 11 September attacks.

Speaking outside the Islamic Cultural Center of The Bronx, Mamdani, a 34-year-old Queens Assemblyman, said, “My aunt stopped riding the subway after 11 September because she didn’t feel safe being seen in a headscarf (hijab).” He said his aunt’s fear reflected the broader climate of Islamophobia that gripped the country after the attacks.

Vance later took to X to mock Mamdani, posting, “According to Zohran, the real victim of 9/11 was his auntie who got some (allegedly) bad looks,” sharing a clip of Mamdani in tears.

Mamdani vowed to embrace his Muslim identity amid criticism from former governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, calling their remarks “racist and baseless.”

Expressing regret for earlier downplaying his faith, he said, “I will not change who I am or how I eat for the faith I’m proud to call my own. I will no longer look for myself in the shadows. I will find myself in the light.”