Mamdani defends wife when confronted on work with anti-Israel author, decries rhetoric

16 Mar 2026 By foxnews

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani defended his wife, Rama Duwaji, on Friday during a press conference when confronted about her work with an author who called the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, "spectacular," and described Jewish Israelis as "rootless, soulless ghouls."

During the conference, a reporter asked Mamdani whether his wife was aware of the author's rhetoric before she took the job and whether such rhetoric was acceptable.

"I think that that rhetoric is patently unacceptable. I think it's reprehensible," Mamdani stated.

"As is common for freelance illustrators, the first lady was commissioned to illustrate an excerpt of a book by a third party. She has never engaged with or met with the author, nor has she seen the tweets that you're referring to. And we stand in our administration, and I can tell you our administration, which is separate from the first lady as she doesn't have a role within it, against bigotry of all forms," he said.

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The Washington Free Beacon first reported Thursday that Duwaji provided an illustration for Susan Abulhawa, an author who compiled several essays for the collection, "Every Moment Is a Life."

Abulhawa wrote an op-ed after the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks that called it "a spectacular moment that shocked the world," according to The Washington Free Beacon.

In addition, the outlet flagged multiple social media posts, one in which she called Israelis "rootless, soulless ghouls," from December. In September, Abulhawa called Israel a "cultureless, rootless human aberration in the form of a manufactured 'nation,'" and said, "we live in the time of jewish supremacist demons."

Abulhawa also called Israelis "demonic parasite[s]" in a post in November, according to The Washington Free Beacon.

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The mayor's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for additional comment.

Duwaji also faced backlash last week over allegedly liking posts that cheered the Oct. 7 attacks. Duwaji allegedly liked a February 2024 Instagram post claiming The New York Times' investigation into sexual violence during the Oct. 7 attack was "fabricated," according to The Free Press.

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Duwaji, a Houston-born illustrator who identifies as Syrian and married Mamdani in early 2025, also liked several posts in the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks that appeared critical of Israel, Jewish Insider first reported.

Abulhawa issued a response via video posted to X on Saturday.

"I want to speak about this accusation of antisemitism against me and also about the nature and requisites of racism in general. At the most basic level, I'll start with the word semite. Unlike the White Ashkenazi Jews attacking me, I am an actual Semitic person. Semitism is just another part of our identity that they have stolen," Abulhawa said.

She said she was disappointed by Mamdani's condemnation of her.

Abulhawa pointed Fox News Digital to her posted video when requested for further comment.