Zohran Mamdani Makes History as NYC's First Muslim Mayor: The Remarkable Legacy of His Parents Mira Nair and Mahmood Mamdani

Zohran Mamdani stands alongside his mother Mira Nair, an acclaimed filmmaker, and his father Mahmood Mamdani, a renowned scholar.

Zohran Kwame Mamdani has secured his position as New York City's new mayor after winning against independent candidate former governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa in a definitive electoral victory.

With more than 50% of votes tallied, Mamdani, who currently serves as a Democratic Socialist and Queens state assembly member, has achieved a historic milestone by becoming the city's first Muslim mayor and one of its youngest leaders ever.

He will officially assume his role as New York's 111th mayor beginning January 1.

The newly elected mayor was born in Uganda's capital Kampala in 1991, to distinguished parents - Indian-origin filmmaker Mira Nair and Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani.

Mira Nair, born in Rourkela, Odisha in 1957, initially studied sociology at Delhi University before receiving a prestigious scholarship to Harvard University. Her first feature film, "Salaam Bombay!" (1988), which depicted the struggles of street children in Mumbai, earned her the Camera d'Or at Cannes Film Festival and an Academy Award nomination.

Throughout her illustrious four-decade career, Nair has consistently crafted narratives that transcend cultural boundaries. Her 1991 film "Mississippi Masala," featuring Denzel Washington and Sarita Choudhury, pioneered the portrayal of a romantic relationship between a Black American man and an Indian-Ugandan woman. Her critically acclaimed "Monsoon Wedding" (2001) won the Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival and remains one of India's most internationally celebrated cinematic works.

Nair is also known for her political convictions. In 2013, she declined participation in the Haifa International Film Festival, stating she would visit Israel "when the walls come down" and "when the state does not privilege one religion over another."

Mira Nair first encountered Mahmood Mamdani in Uganda during 1989 while conducting research for "Mississippi Masala." They married two years later and welcomed their son Zohran that same year.

Mahmood Mamdani, born in Mumbai in 1946 and raised in Kampala, is considered one of Africa's most distinguished scholars on colonialism and political violence. In 1972, during his early academic career, he was among 60,000 Asians expelled from Uganda under dictator Idi Amin's regime.

After completing his PhD at Harvard University in 1974, Mahmood Mamdani's teaching career has spanned institutions across Tanzania, South Africa, Uganda, and the United States. Currently, he holds the prestigious Herbert Lehman Professorship of Government at Columbia University. From 2010 to 2022, he directed the Makerere Institute of Social Research in Kampala, transforming it into a premier center for postcolonial studies.

Mamdani's significant literary contributions include "Good Muslim, Bad Muslim" (2004), "When Victims Become Killers" (2001), and "Neither Settler Nor Native" (2020), which earned a place on the British Academy Book Prize shortlist for Global Cultural Understanding. In 2008, Foreign Policy and Prospect magazines recognized him among the Top 20 Public Intellectuals globally.

Throughout his distinguished career, Mamdani has generated debate with his critiques of Western foreign policy and Zionism. During the campus protests regarding Gaza in 2024, he publicly opposed Columbia University's decision to suspend students, asserting "there has been no due process."