When Mayor Zohran Mamdani took the stage at the Museum of the City of New York last week, he was surrounded by city workers invited to share iftar, the dinner held after sunset to break the daily Ramadan fast.
"It is not every day that we see in one room the sheer breadth of Muslim life in New York City," Mamdani said, flashing his trademark grin and offering the traditional holiday greeting. "I will say it once again, Ramadan mubarak, my friends."
It was a moment of celebration and pride not only for New York City's community of roughly one million Muslims but also for many Muslims across the country.
Over the last year, Mamdani had risen with astonishing speed from a Democratic Socialist backbencher in the state legislature to the pinnacle of power in the U.S.' largest city.