New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, has issued a public apology for “harmful” social media posts she made as a teenager, following scrutiny from a conservative news outlet.
In an interview with arts website Hyperallergic published on Wednesday, the illustrator expressed shame over her past language. “Being 15 doesn’t excuse it,” she said, adding that she understood the hurt caused and was “truly sorry”.
The apology came after the Washington Free Beacon resurfaced posts from Duwaji’s online profiles, including a 2013 use of an anti-gay slur and a racial slur directed affectionately at a friend. Earlier material praised Palestinian militants involved in 1960s and 1970s hijackings and bombings, while a 2015 post claimed Tel Aviv “shouldn’t exist” as it occupied Palestinian land.
Duwaji did not detail specific posts and sidestepped recent activity on Israel that has drawn criticism amid Mamdani’s efforts to address Jewish community concerns over his views on Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. She has also faced backlash for liking an Instagram post seemingly celebrating Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, and for illustrating an essay by an author who called the assault “spectacular” and labelled Jewish Israelis “rootless soulless ghouls”.
Mamdani, who has described his wife as a “private person” with no formal City Hall role, defended her integrity on Thursday. “She shared some of her reflections in this interview,” he told reporters, calling questions about her posts a consequence of his mayoral bid.
(Inputs from AP)