New York City Mayor Zahran Mamdani faced intense backlash over a post by his office for immigrant affairs that hailed the hijab as a symbol of devotion, identity, and pride.
The post, shared on World Hijab Day, was criticized in the context of the ongoing protests against mandatory hijab in Iran.
The post stated that today we are celebrating the faith, identity, and pride of Muslim women and girls around the world who choose to wear the hijab, a powerful symbol of devotion and representation of Muslim heritage.
Social activists and commentators strongly objected to the message, arguing that the tone of the post ignores the ground realities faced by women in Iran, where they have been arrested, subjected to violence, and even killed for refusing to wear the hijab.
Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad expressed strong disapproval, directly addressing Zahran Mamdani.
She wrote, "Mr. Zahran Mamdani, really? At this time? Honestly, it hurts me to see you celebrating World Hijab Day in beautiful New York City, while in my wounded homeland of Iran, women are facing imprisonment, bullets, and death for rejecting the hijab and the Islamic ideology behind it."
Masih Alinejad accused the mayor of standing with "our jailers" and called the post "shameful" for its timing and silence on the crackdown in Iran.
French author and social activist Bernard-Henri Lévy also criticized the post, questioning both its timing and message.
He wrote, "World Hijab Day? How is this possible when thousands of women in Iran are being imprisoned, subjected to violence, and killed simply for not wearing the hijab? How can we celebrate the hijab in such circumstances?"
Turkish-American economist and political scientist Timur Kuran also deemed the post inappropriate in several respects.
The backlash is in contrast to Zahran Mamdani's past statements, in which he has spoken out against Islamophobia.
Last year, he recounted how his aunt had felt unsafe wearing the hijab after the 9/11 attacks and had stopped riding the subway. He also said that he had been advised to keep his faith private when entering politics.