The “aunt” who Zohran Mamdani said was too afraid to wear her hijab on the subways after 9/11 is actually a deceased distant cousin, he clarified Monday.
The socialist mayoral front-runner made the revelation during a press conference after critics seized on his story, sharing photos on social media of an aunt of his without a hijab.
“I was speaking about Zehra fuhi, my father’s cousin, who passed away a few years ago,” Mamdani told reporters. Fuhi means paternal aunt in Urdu and Hindi.
Questions began to mount on social media after a tearful Mamdani on Friday recalled how his “aunt” made the painful decision to stop taking the subway in New York City after facing Islamophobia in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
The comments themselves also drew backlash, including from Vice President JD Vance.
“According to Zohran the real victim of 9/11 was his auntie who got some (allegedly) bad looks,” he railed in a post to X.
Internet sleuths later claimed that Mamdani’s only living aunt does not appear to wear a hijab — and lived in Tanzania on 9/11 — prompting the Democratic nominee to do damage control Monday.
“For the takeaway from my more than 10-minute address about Islamophobia in this race and in this city, to be the question of my aunt, tells you everything you need to know about (ex. Gov Andrew) Cuomo and his inability to reckon with a crisis of his own making.”
This is a breaking story. Please check back for updates
