With Mamdani's Rise, Muslim Democrats Become Power Players
More than a decade before their organizing in mosques and Muslim communities helped create an untapped groundswell of support for Zohran Mamdani’s run for mayor of New York City, a network of Muslim leaders rallied behind another cause: making Eid, among the most jubilant and holy days in Islam, a school-sanctioned holiday.
It would take nearly a decade and two mayoral administrations before the effort paid off, making New York one of the first major cities to put Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha on the city’s public school calendar — a victory for the city’s Muslim communities and especially the Muslim Democratic Club, whose leaders were widely credited for the behind-the-scenes groundwork and persuasion that made it possible.
Now, as Mr. Mamdani begins his fifth month as mayor, his closest allies in Muslim organizing have emerged as key parts of the city’s political framework. Founding members of the Muslim Democratic Club now lead citywide offices and top advisory committees; other Muslim political veterans fill high-ranking posts at City Hall, like the Office of Management and Budget and the city’s chief counsel.
More candidates have sought the Muslim club’s endorsement for the 2026 primaries than in past election cycles; mosques and Muslim community centers, once largely skipped, have become must-stops for candidates, as more Muslim groups move to organize.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/nyregion/muslim-democratic-club-mamdani.html