Original article (in Montenegrin) was published on 18/11/2025; Author: Jovana Đurišić
Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani was elected the 111th mayor of New York City, making history as the first Muslim mayor in the city’s history. This fact alone was sufficient to trigger a chain of disinformation about how his religious affiliation would affect the city he would lead.
In a Facebook post it is claimed that magical rituals are being organized in New York that deprive people of the ability to exercise simple reasoning. In support of a thesis intended to “substantiate” these claims, a video from Times Square is attached in which the Islamic call to prayer can be heard, accompanied by the assertion that New York is preparing for Mamdani to become mayor and that the city’s main square is being transformed into an open-air mosque.
However, the images of worshippers from Times Square were not recorded after Mamdani was elected mayor, but much earlier.
Specifically, the videos circulating in viral posts aimed at discrediting the new mayor of New York were recorded during Ramadan, on March 3 of this year, and were published on Instagram and TikTok.
That is, months before Mamdani was elected mayor of New York.
Ramadan, the month of fasting and prayer, for most Muslims began on the evening of February 28 and lasted until 30 or 31 March, depending on the sighting of the moon.
On March 2, community organizations organized a large prayer gathering and iftar in Times Square.
Photographs by AFP and the Turkish news agency Anadolu show Ramadan gatherings in Times Square in March 2025, March 2024 and March 2023.
Therefore, this practice is not new and is not connected to Mamdani’s election as mayor of New York; such an event was first organized in 2022.
Even before his election as mayor, Mamdani faced Islamophobic attacks that placed his religious affiliation at the forefront, rather than the political program he presented as a candidate.
According to reporting by the Guardian, several hours after a combative final mayoral debate in New York City, attacks by Andrew Cuomo on his progressive Democratic rival Zohran Mamdani continued along a familiar, racially charged theme.
“God forbid another September 11 – can you imagine Mamdani in that position?” said the independent candidate and former governor to conservative radio host Sid Rosenberg, referring to the terrorist attacks by Islamist extremists on New York in 2001.
“He would be cheering,” Rosenberg replied, prompting Cuomo, who had previously called Mamdani a “terrorist sympathizer,” to laugh and add, “That’s another problem.”
Mamdani condemned the comment as “disgusting” and “racist” in an appearance on New York’s PIX11 News.
„This is Andrew Cuomo’s final moments in public life and he’s choosing to spend them making racist attacks “, he said.
Donald Trump loyalist Elise Stefanik, a Republican congresswoman from New York who is reportedly seeking the nomination for governor of the state, denounced Mamdani as a “jihadist candidate for mayor” in an incendiary tweet.
In conclusion, Mamdani’s election as mayor does not turn Times Square into an open-air mosque, nor were the videos used to support such claims recorded during his term. For these reasons, the posts in question are rated as disinformation.
The “Disinformation” rating is given to media reports that contain a “mix” of facts and inaccurate or partially true content. In such cases, media outlets may not necessarily be aware of the inaccurate information published alongside accurate details. Additionally, this rating will also apply to reports with false attributions or headlines that do not accurately reflect the content in terms of factual correctness.
