There is a hatred in America that still dares to speak its name – loudly, publicly, and without fear of consequences. It does not hide behind euphemisms or coded language. It ridicules, stigmatizes and thrives in the open. That hatred is Islamophobia. Today, it remains one of the last socially and publicly acceptable forms of bigotry.
Muslims are a community that prominent political figures can still slander on air, that journalists can treat as suspect by default, and that candidates can use as props in their culture-war campaigns without major consequences or jeopardizing their careers.
Recently, New York City mayoral candidate and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, went on conservative radio and commented, “God forbid, another 9/11, can you imagine Mamdani in the seatReferring to Assemblyman and fellow New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. His host Sid Rosenberg responded, “He’ll be cheering.” “That’s another problem,” Cuomo said, laughing.
Two grown men, long embedded in New York’s media and political ecosystem, casually and publicly imagined a Muslim legislator “cheering” during a mass-casualty terrorist attack simply because of his faith, and they treated it like a small thing. This insinuation is disgusting and inhumane – that an elected official would celebrate the slaughter of his fellow New Yorkers simply because he is Muslim.
Even CNN’s Dana Bash couldn’t resist reportedly introducing Mamdani as a “controversial candidate” who, if elected, would be the first Muslim mayor of New York City.On the 25th anniversary of 9/11“—provocatively making the connection between his faith identity and the terrorist attacks.
These are not isolated mistakes and wrong things. They are symptoms of a society and culture that has normalized exploiting religious identity for political clout and currency. They are fodder for talk radio, a rallying cry for radicals and extremists, and cheap shots from pundits and politicians desperate to maintain fading relevance.
In Georgia, far-right Islamophobe Laura Loomer recently declared on X that “Our entire country is being IslamizedClaiming that an “Islamic takeover of America” is underway only because Muslim Americans are running for local office. The targets of this dramatic frenzy are candidates for public office such as Georgia State Representative Ruwa Roman and Johns Creek Council Member Shafiq Jadavji, who were invited to a “candidate meeting and welcome” – public servants who spend their days improving schools, infrastructure and services rather than plotting a “Sharia takeover”, according to these attacks.
The reality is that when Muslims seek public office, their patriotism is questioned. When they speak out against genocide and war crimes, they are labeled anti-Semites and extremists. When they stand in elections, they are vilified as infiltrators.
Imagine for a moment if Cuomo had said the same thing about any Jewish, black or gay elected official, saying they would be “happy” during a tragedy. The reaction will be immediate, the apologies swift, the condemnation bipartisan. But when the target is a Muslim, there is silence.
Why? Because Islamophobia has been institutionalized. This has been reinforced for more than two decades through “war on terror” narratives, sensationalist headlines, and the political mathematics that fear wins votes and helps control the public. Even when Muslims are praised, it is often through a “good Muslim, bad Muslim” lens, where only those who mute their faith or condemn their fellow Muslims on demand are considered acceptable.
This conditional inclusion is a quiet cruelty of Islamophobia. It presents a story of American Muslims that no matter how many elections we win, how many patients we cure, how many children we mentor, how many communities we feed, how many ways we serve our country, we will always be viewed as potential threats rather than equal citizens. The implication is that Muslims can serve America, but can never represent it.
Words like Cuomo or Loomer do not exist in a vacuum. Every time this rhetoric is not challenged, it spreads downstream – in classrooms where Muslim students are bullied, in workplaces where Muslims face discrimination or are sidelined for promotions, and in neighborhoods where mosques face opposition.
When politicians and pundits categorize Muslims as threatening and dangerous, they are not simply insulting individuals – they are creating cultural scaffolding that allows violence and injustice to feel justified. After all, this is one of the ultimate goals of Islamophobes.
The attacks on Mamdani and other Muslim candidates are not just smears; They are a stress test for the soul of American democracy. If participation by American Muslims automatically equates to national security, then our democracy is not pluralistic – it is conditional.
Mamdani’s measured response at Friday’s press conference outside a New York City mosque in response to these infamous attacks revealed what is really at stake: “This is not about me,” he said. “This is about whether Muslim kids growing up in this city can believe they belong here.”
This is a question for debate for every American. Do we still believe that faith can disqualify someone from serving one’s country? How long can we continue to tacitly accept that some forms of bigotry – as long as they target Muslims – are politically expedient, good for ratings, and even entertaining?
Islamophobia thrives because too few Americans find it offensive enough to confront it. Until it becomes socially unacceptable, America will continue to betray its own ideals – one insult, one insult, one “joke” at a time.
Zainab Choudhury is a CAIR Action Maryland advisory member.
