A resurfaced 2013 interview with filmmaker Mira Nair, mother of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, has drawn renewed attention as critics and commentators examine her remarks in light of her son’s current role. In the interview, Nair described her son as fully connected to his Indian roots, stating that he was “not an American at all” and insisting that “we are not firangs at all. He is very much us.” At the time, Mamdani was a 21-year-old college student studying Arabic and Politics, and Nair emphasized that he was focusing on political and current affairs issues. She explained that the family spoke only Hindustani at home and that Mamdani was “very involved with current affairs, politics, and political issues.”
The remarks have resurfaced at a moment when Mamdani is serving as the first Muslim and South Asian mayor of New York City, and the youngest in over a century. His ascent to one of the nation’s most prominent political offices has drawn attention to his identity and background, and some commentators have questioned whether Nair’s description of him as “not an American” reflects on his approach to governance. The comments have sparked debate over Mamdani’s ties to American identity and his engagement with immigrant and religious communities.
Those questions have intensified following Mamdani’s remarks at the city’s annual interfaith breakfast. In prepared remarks, he urged Americans to “look to Islam and the Prophet Muhammad” as a moral guide for immigration policy, citing the Prophet’s migration from Mecca to Medina as a model for welcoming strangers. At the same event, Mamdani signed an executive order reinforcing New York City’s sanctuary city policies, directing city agencies to limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement without judicial warrants and expanding privacy protections for residents. He framed these measures as protecting immigrant communities and reducing fear created by federal immigration actions, and announced that the city would distribute multilingual materials outlining residents’ rights in encounters with immigration authorities…