Picture this: a young democratic socialist, sporting a thick beard, navigating the chaotic streets of Cairo during the turbulent final days of the Muslim Brotherhood’s grip on power.
Zohran Mamdani, now a leading contender for New York City mayor, found himself in Egypt during the summer of 2013, witnessing the dramatic ouster of Mohamed Morsi and reflecting on the intoxicating pull of protest, all while his past affiliations and activism stir controversy in his current campaign, as Just the News reports.
Back in 2012, Mamdani honed his Arabic skills at Middlebury College before heading to Cairo in June 2013 for a language program, just as tensions were boiling over against Morsi’s regime. He settled into an apartment near Tahrir Square, the epicenter of Egypt’s revolutionary fervor. Little did he know, he was stepping into a pivotal moment in history.
By late June, Mamdani watched protesters flood Tahrir Square, their anger aimed at Morsi, who had been elected president a year earlier after the 2011 revolution toppled Hosni Mubarak. He noted the diverse crowds, including women, though he was troubled by the pervasive threat of harassment they faced after dark.
On July 3, 2013, the Egyptian military, led by Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, removed Morsi from power following massive demonstrations, a move that split opinions between celebration and condemnation. Mamdani, sensing danger as a foreigner, left Cairo two days later for Uganda at his family’s urging. His tweets and shared articles during this time criticized the military’s actions and the anti-Muslim Brotherhood propaganda.
Even in Uganda, Mamdani couldn’t detach from Egypt’s unfolding drama, sharing reports of military violence against Brotherhood supporters and state censorship. He returned to Cairo on July 21, only to find a changed atmosphere -- his own professor, once a Brotherhood sympathizer, had shaved his beard to avoid suspicion. The rising xenophobia, targeting Syrians and foreigners, left Mamdani shaken as he was advised to stick to English to avoid trouble.
Mamdani’s own appearance became a point of contention during his Egyptian stint -- his thick beard drew comments linking him to the Brotherhood, a group founded in the 1920s with aims of establishing Islamic governance. “In the last year I’ve added another distinctive feature: a beard. It began mostly as a symbolic middle finger to the sometimes spoken, but oft-accepted, stereotype that pervades America,” he wrote in the Bowdoin Orient in 2013.
Yet, faced with the real risk of being misidentified in a volatile Cairo, he trimmed it, reflecting on how such symbols carry weighty assumptions in both Egypt and the U.S. It’s a curious footnote -- how a personal choice becomes a political statement under the wrong gaze.
By July 24, with el-Sisi calling for protests to grant him a mandate against what Mamdani saw as a veiled attack on the Brotherhood and foreigners, the tension was palpable. Fearing reprisal, Mamdani left Egypt for New York the next day, bringing an end to his tumultuous summer abroad.
Fast forward to today, and Mamdani’s time in Egypt is just one layer of scrutiny as he campaigns for mayor. His long record of activism against Israel, including accusations of genocide shortly after the October 2023 Hamas attacks, has raised eyebrows among those wary of radical agendas.
Adding fuel to the fire, Mamdani has praised Sirraj Wahhaj, a New York imam with alleged ties to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, while a super PAC backing his campaign accepted funds from Wahhaj. Then there’s his connection to Linda Sarsour, a Palestinian-American activist whose stance on Israel has sparked accusations of bias. These links beg the question: do they reflect mere ideological alignment or a deeper cause for concern?
His past creative expressions, like rap lyrics lauding the “Holy Land Five” -- convicted for supporting Hamas, a group tied to the Muslim Brotherhood -- further complicate the narrative. For a city as diverse and security-conscious as New York, these associations aren’t just footnotes; they’re flashing red lights.
Mamdani’s reflections on Egypt, like his observation of the “addiction of revolution [and] of protest,” reveal a man captivated by the raw energy of upheaval. But does that fascination translate to a leadership style suited for a city needing stability over street fervor?
As the odds-on favorite for mayor, Mamdani’s past -- be it beards in Cairo or controversial endorsements at home -- demands a hard look.
New Yorkers deserve a leader whose history aligns with pragmatic governance, not just protest nostalgia. Let’s hope the campaign trail uncovers whether he has learned from Egypt’s chaos or is still chasing its intoxicating high.
