India, Oct. 29 -- During a press event in The Bronx, mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani recounted how his aunt stopped riding the subway after the September 11 attacks because she "did not feel safe in her hijab." However, social-media users and political opponents challenged his narrative, pointing out that his only biological aunt lived in Tanzania in 2001 and did not wear a hijab.

Amid the backlash, Mamdani responded by saying he was referring to a distant relative named Zehra fuhi (in Urdu/Hindi "fuhi" means paternal aunt) - not his legal aunt, explaining the discrepancy.

Mamdani addressed his statements by claiming that the criticism was a diversion, accusing his political opponents of Islamophobia, while arguing that the bigger prob...