New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has been placed under intense scrutiny after posting on social media in a bid to celebrate the World Hijab Day 2026. The activists believe that the message does not consider the case of women in Iran who suffer violence because of refusing to wear the garment.
Zohran Mamdani, the Mayor who only a few weeks into his historic tenure, is in the midst of a firestorm around the world. His Office of Immigrant Affairs had also published a tribute to World Hijab Day 2026, which described the hijab as an powerful sign of religious devotion.
Prominent voices like journalist Masih Alinejad and philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy slammed the timing. They pointed to the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement in Iran. In Tehran, women face arrest and death for refusing the same garment NYC just celebrated.
Masih Alinejad addressed the Mayor directly. She described the post as “torture” for those watching their sisters die for freedom in Iran. She accused the administration of siding with “jailers” by remaining silent on the Iranian crackdown.
Turkish-American economist Timur Kuran added his voice. He argued that the post ignores how millions of Muslims view the hijab as a tool of state-mandated oppression.
Mamdani’s perspective remains shaped by local struggle. He often cites his aunt’s fear of wearing a hijab in NYC after 9/11. To his supporters, the post defends religious freedom in a city where Islamophobia persists. To his critics, it is a tone-deaf erasure of a global human rights crisis.
The Mayor’s office has not retracted the statement. They maintain that bodily autonomy means the right to choose—whether that choice is to wear the veil or discard it.
source https://enews.hamariweb.com/world/nyc-mayor-zohran-mamdani-faces-backlash-for-celebrating-world-hijab-day-2026/
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