Mamdani Forced to Explain to MAGA How Brown People Use the Word “Aunt”

Zohran Mamdani has been forced to explain what the word “aunt” means in South Asian culture.

On Friday, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor made a speech about Islamophobia outside of a Bronx mosque. The speech highlighted how Muslims in New York City deal with discrimination and prejudice, especially after the 9/11 attacks. Mamdani spoke of a personal experience where one of his loved ones was fearful of experiencing prejudice in the city.

“I want to speak to the memory of my aunt who stopped taking the subway after September 11 because she did not feel safe in her hijab,” Mamdani said, while getting emotional. “I want to speak to the Muslim who works for our city, whether they teach in our schools or walk the beat for the NYPD.”

But, rather than actually listening to his story or perhaps engaging in some introspection about prejudice others face in America, right-wing media seized upon Mamdani’s mention of his “aunt” to try to claim some kind of gotcha. The Murdoch-owned New York Post and Fox News both claimed to find Mamdani’s actual aunt, who doesn’t wear a head covering.

On Tuesday morning, Mamdani had to clarify what the word “aunt” means in South Asian culture, explaining that he was speaking about his father’s cousin Zehra fuhi, who passed away a few years ago. An “aunt” can refer not just to a sister of a parent but to any elder female relative or even a friend or acquaintance.

Some right-wing commentators then tried to claim “Zehra Fuhi” isn’t a real person, believing fuhi is a surname, rather than a term for paternal aunt in Urdu, Hindi, and Gujarati.

The whole saga is another bigoted attempt to smear Mamdani based on his religion. Mamdani’s opponent Andrew Cuomo, along with right-wing media, has made multiple Islamophobic attacks in a desperate attempt to gain ground on the surging Democratic candidate. Cuomo and the media have tried to claim that Mamdani is pro-Hamas, wants a global intifada, and is close to Siraj Wahaj, an imam in the city baselessly accused of supporting the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. These efforts have only demonstrated how pervasive Islamophobia is in New York and American politics, proving the points Mamdani made in his Bronx speech.