Mayor Zohran Mamdani has reportedly forged a bond with a radical anti-Israel sheikh, meeting with him multiple times in the Big Apple – despite the Muslim cleric publicly lauding Hamas’ horrific Oct. 7 attack on Israel for inspiring “great change” for the world.
Mamdani, a staunch critic of Israel, has met with Sheikh Fradhel Al-Sahlani, imam of the Al-Khoei Islamic Center in Queens — who also has a disturbing record of denying the Holocaust — at least three times since January 2025, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
The meetups — the mayor’s latest in February when he celebrated Ramadan at the cleric’s Jamaica mosque — came after Al-Sahlani praised Hamas for making a “big difference” for Muslims just weeks following the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.
“One movement can make a great change,” the sheikh, an Iraqi native, hailed in a Nov. 3, 2023, sermon, in which he justified the terror group’s heinous attack on the Jewish state as a fight against “injustice.”
“What we are witnessing is the one movement, Hamas, has made a big difference not only for the Arab Muslim world, but the whole world. According to anybody who has a sense, who has a spirit of freedom of the people, whoever has that, will learn that Palestinians are the ones who suffer injustice.”
He went on to slam Congress for approving a $14.3 billion aid package backing Israel’s campaign against Hamas, accusing the Jewish state of committing a “genocide” and “war crimes” in Gaza.
Al-Sahlani later argued that real, lasting change would only come once more Muslims are elected to political office.
“When we have been dealt an injustice, we’re giving permission to fight back,” he said, fuming that Arabs and Palestinians have lived in an “open prison” in Israel for over 70 years.
“Now we have to stand with those who have suffered injustice. We cannot make that change unless we’re involved heavily in the political system in the United States, then maybe we can make a little bit of change.”
Mamdani — New York City’s first Muslim mayor — met with Al-Sahlani three times in 2025 before being elected, including two visits to the sheikh’s mosque in January and July, videos showed.
The pair also met during an August 2025 fundraiser on Long Island, the Free Beacon reported.
The 34-year-old democratic socialist most recently trekked to Queens to mark Ramadan in February — a month after he took office — and addressed attendees at the same podium where Al-Sahlani hurled his vile remarks.
“It feels like returning home to be here,” Hizzoner told the crowd.
Photos from the event also showed Mamdani grinning broadly as he shook Al-Sahlani’s hand.
City Hall did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Previous Big Apple mayors, including Eric Adams and Michael Bloomberg, have been photographed attending events with the sheikh; however, Mamdani’s efforts to forge a relationship with the controversial cleric come in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack — and despite his strained relationship with Jewish leaders.
He has been heavily criticized for controversial comments and stances, including outspoken criticism of Israel. Critics have expressed concern over the mayor’s refusal to condemn the “globalize the intifada” rallying cry for violence against Jewish people.
In a statement to the Free Beacon, Mamdani spokesman Sam Raskin insisted that the mayor rejects Al-Sahlani’s disturbing views on the Holocaust and Hamas.
“Sheikh Fadhel Al-Sahlani’s Holocaust denial and comments about Hamas are diametrically opposed to the mayor’s values and everything he has said and stood for,” he told the outlet.
“Like many elected officials, the mayor has visited many houses of worship and religious institutions across New York City. No visit should ever be construed as an endorsement of every statement made by every individual affiliated with those institutions.”
Mamdani’s wife, First Lady Rama Duwaji, has also come under fire for social media posts praising Palestinian terrorists, bashing Israel, and reportedly once liking posts celebrating the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist massacre in Israel.
Mamdani defended his wife, and she apologized in April for the “hurt” caused by alarming social media posts — though she did not directly express regret for the Israel-bashing content.
The mayor ignited fury last week for paying tribute to “Nakba Day” — a day Palestinians call the “catastrophe” of Israel’s declaration of independence on May 14, 1948.
