Independent Mayoral hopeful Andrew Cuomo’s visit to a Jamaica mosque did not go as he might have hoped Friday, as his visit was peppered by hecklers angry what they called his lack of outreach to the Muslim community and his support for Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
“Shame on you, you’re not welcome here!” came a man’s shout from the small crowd that gathered around the former Governor as he entered the Masjid Mission Center in Jamaica Friday afternoon.
Speaking before several dozen worshipers, Cuomo began by saying it was nice to be back in his home borough of Queens. The former Governor then began to address political violence and extremism, before he was interrupted.
“You represent Netanyahu,” someone shouted, referencing the ex-governor’s decision to join the Israeli Prime Minister’s legal team last year.
The angry reception underscores the sharp divisions in the mayoral race and across the city over the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis. After Hamas terrorists launched a bloody terror attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 that included kidnapping hostages, Israel launched a campaign in Gaza that has gone on nearly two years.
“We respect differences,” Cuomo said. “We don’t condone any violence or disrespect of anyone ever.”
Cuomo told the crowd that he — running as an independent — was nonetheless the true Democrat in the race, drawing a line between himself and Mamdani, a Democratic socialist who has made affordability the centerpiece of his campaign.
“This election is different than most elections,” he said. “This is not just about different people, this is about different philosophies.”
“I am a democrat,” he continued. “My father was a democrat.”
“I’ve always been a democrat,” Cuomo said. “Mr. Mamdani is a socialist.”
“Socialism didn’t work in Venezuela, socialism didn’t work in Cuba,” Cuomo went on. “Socialism is not gonna work in New York City.”
Mohammad Hossain, 50, did not protest the former governor. But he told the Daily News that he disagreed with Cuomo’s appearance at the mosque.
“[He] lost in the primary, he shouldn’t even bother,” Hossain said.
Shahadat Hussain, an official at the Masjid Mission Center, defended the decision to have Cuomo come speak.
“We have to communicate with each other,” he said. “We have to build this America nice and gentle.”
Shahadat Hussain told those who’d gathered it’s important to hear all voices.
“Everybody is welcome here,” he said.
“We’re not the majority of the people. We’re the minority of the people,” Hussain continued. “So please, listen to this guy. He’s the governor, ex governor, and he did great job in the pandemic time.”
On the street outside, Bilal Khan, 40, spoke from a table where he was registering congregants to vote.
“You can’t fault him for something that you yourself would do if you were a candidate,” Khan said of Cuomo’s decision to visit the mosque. “But from our standpoint, [it’s] ‘hey, man, where have you been,’ you know?”
“This is the first time you’re visiting a mosque in eight years? Shame on you,” one heckler yelled.
Cuomo did, in fact, visited the Futa Islamic Center in the Bronx last week. But that was the first to an Islamic house of worship since his campaign began — and it came after Cuomo was unable, during a Democratic primary debate earlier this year, to definitively say he had visited a mosque during his time in office as Governor.
After the visit, Cuomo told reporters the hecklers were “disruptors “sent by the campaign of Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani, himself a Queens Muslim. Mamdani is currently the frontrunner in the mayoral race, which also includes Republican Curtis Sliwa and an independent bid by current mayor Eric Adams.
“He doesn’t want people to hear the truth,” Cuomo said. “He especially doesn’t want Muslims to hear the truth, because what he believes is going to be repugnant to the Muslim community. [The] Muslim community are not socialists.”
“The Muslim community does not believe in legalizing prostitution,” Cuomo said. “It is prohibited in the Quran.”
Speaking at a Manhattan event Friday afternoon, Mamdani said his campaign was not involved, and called on Cuomo to visit more mosques.
Originally Published:
