Mamdani's win could ripple across LI's Muslim communities

As a kid growing up in Kashmir, I would hear about Ellis Island in New York, where my dad was processed when he came to study at Harvard in 1927. NYC always held a special place in my imagination. In 1966 my wife Arfa and I landed at Kennedy Airport to pursue advanced training in medicine and radiology.

We held important administrative positions, Arfa at Long Island Jewish Medical Center and I at Nassau University Medical Center, where I served as chair of medicine from 1987-1999. When my contract was not renewed, some speculated that part of the reason was my increasing profile as a Muslim activist. We also helped establish the Islamic Center of Long Island in Westbury.

After 9/11, our community was monitored and surveilled, and I was labeled an "extremist" by my congressman. In spite of the Islamophobic atmosphere, we as Muslim immigrants stayed deeply rooted in medical education, research and interfaith dialogue. I never imagined that decades later I would witness the election of someone like Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City. This milestone is more than symbolic — it is a powerful affirmation that America's promise of pluralism is alive and evolving.

The most cosmopolitan city on Earth stands poised to demonstrate that Islam and the West are not destined for confrontation, but can instead collaborate in a shared human enterprise. Mamdani's leadership offers a vision of a city where religious identity is not a barrier but a bridge. His unapologetic embrace of his Muslim identity is a powerful counternarrative to decades of Islamophobia and political marginalization. As he said with clarity and courage: "The dream of every Muslim is simply to be treated the same as any other New Yorker. No more."

His election as New York City's first Muslim mayor could ripple across Long Island, energizing its Muslim communities and reshaping civic engagement, representation and interfaith collaboration. For Muslim Long Islanders, especially youth and women, his victory affirms that faith and public service are not mutually exclusive. Some may be emboldened to run for office here, knowing that visibility and authenticity are assets — not liabilities.

Meanwhile, the considerable Jewish support for Mamdani's campaign evokes echoes of Andalusia, at a time when Muslims, Jews and Christians coexisted and thrived together in southern Spain. This moment presents a historic opportunity to rekindle that spirit of covenant and cooperation.

Mamdani's grassroots multilingual campaign was a lesson for all, powered by young voters and community organizers, with slick, educational short video clips. It demonstrated that people power can triumph over entrenched interests.

It was also a moral reckoning. In a year when Gaza's devastation weighed heavily on hearts across Long Island, Mamdani unapologetically supported Palestinian rights. He didn't hedge — he said he refused to visit Israel while Palestinians remain under siege. For many Muslim voters — especially those in Nassau and Suffolk — this was a line in the sand. In mosques, living rooms, WhatsApp threads and community centers, his words echoed: "I will not normalize apartheid."

I was appalled with the silence of our elected leaders on Long Island about the ongoing genocide in Gaza supported by our U.S. tax dollars. In this respect, Mamdani's election is for Long Island a call to build coalitions rooted in conscience. To demand more from our leaders. And to never again accept silence in the face of suffering.

Let this moment be a turning point. Let it be a new beginning.

This guest essay reflects the views of Dr. Faroque A. Khan, the chairman of the Interfaith Institute of Long Island. He lives in Jericho.