NYC Mayor Criticized After Suggesting Taxpayer-Funded Police Protection for His Wife’s Trip to Syria.
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has rejected Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s claim that his wife, Rama Duwaji, will receive a special police escort during her upcoming trip to Syria.
Mamdani said police officials had recommended that Duwaji be accompanied by taxpayer-funded officers for security during the trip. Duwaji, 29, is reportedly planning to travel to Syria and Lebanon next month, despite U.S. State Department warnings advising Americans against traveling to both countries.
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has rejected Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s claim that his wife, Rama Duwaji, will receive a special police escort during her upcoming trip to Syria.
Mamdani said police officials had recommended that Duwaji be accompanied by taxpayer-funded officers for security during the trip. Duwaji, 29, is reportedly planning to travel to Syria and Lebanon next month, despite U.S. State Department warnings advising Americans against traveling to both countries.
The statement said that, following a strong recommendation from the NYPD, the First Lady’s security detail would accompany her during her planned visit to family in Syria and Lebanon.
Following the NYPD’s denial, Mamdani walked back the earlier claim, attributing it to a miscommunication involving a member of his staff.
“There was a miscommunication. She has not yet taken that trip, and when she takes that trip it will be without any NYPD detail,” Mamdani told PIX11.
The controversy comes after Mamdani previously argued that his wife should not be subject to public scrutiny because she is a “private citizen.” He made the comments after Duwaji faced criticism over allegedly liking an Instagram post celebrating the day after the October 7 attacks.
Jewish Insider was the first to report on the posts, which appeared to indicate that she had liked an image depicting the Hamas attack in a positive light.
The post, shared by the left-wing group The Slow Factory, featured images of people posing after taking control of an Israel Defense Forces vehicle, which had “Free Palestine” written across it. Another image carried the message, “Breaking the walls of apartheid and military occupation,” alongside the date of the attack.
The image reportedly showed a bulldozer being used to breach the border into Israel on October 7, 2023, the day nearly 1,200 people were killed.
When asked about the posts, Mayor Mamdani defended his wife, saying that she is “the love of my life” and a private citizen who has not held any official role in his campaign or at City Hall.
Despite Mamdani’s characterization of her as a private person, Duwaji recently appeared on the cover of The Cut, New York magazine’s prominent style and culture publication.
Her planned trip to Syria and Lebanon follows several recent international trips. Over the Fourth of July weekend, while much of the country was celebrating Independence Day, Duwaji reportedly traveled from Newark, New Jersey, to Spain to attend a six-day Islamic spiritual retreat called “Plants of the Quran,” which reportedly cost $3,400.
After her time in Spain, she also co-hosted a sold-out spiritual retreat on the French island of Corsica. The event, titled “Mary in the Quran,” focused on the life and legacy of Mary, who holds a highly honored place in the Quran.
