Muslim Mayors Under Fire: How Sadiq Khan's Experience Shapes Zohran Mamdani's Path in New York

Zohran Mamdani and Sadiq Khan both govern major metropolises with diverse populations exceeding 8 million residents.

London:

As a progressive Muslim mayor leading his nation's largest city, London's Sadiq Khan has frequently drawn criticism from Donald Trump, creating a parallel to New York's Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.

Khan, who has served as London's mayor since 2016, expressed support for Mamdani's electoral triumph, stating that New Yorkers had "chosen hope over fear, unity over division."

Mamdani, 34, could learn valuable lessons from Khan's tenure, having defeated former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa in Tuesday's election.

Despite winning three consecutive elections, Khan regularly faces religious and racial abuse, with conservative and far-right commentators portraying London as a crime-ridden dystopia.

Trump has been particularly critical over the years, labeling Khan a "stone cold loser," a "nasty person," a "terrible mayor," and falsely claiming Khan wants to implement Sharia law in London.

Khan, an amateur boxing enthusiast, has responded forcefully, declaring in September that Trump is "racist, sexist, misogynistic and Islamophobic."

Speaking to The Associated Press during a global mayors' summit in Brazil, Khan expressed that it's "heartbreaking" but unsurprising to see Mamdani experiencing similar abuse.

"London is liberal, progressive, multicultural, but also successful — as indeed is New York," he remarked. "If you're a nativist, populist politician, we are the antithesis of all you stand for."

Both mayors receive threats related to their Muslim faith, with Khan requiring significantly enhanced security compared to his predecessors.

They have each attempted to build relationships with Jewish communities after facing criticism for their pro-Palestinian positions during the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Both leaders claim their political rivals have exploited Islamophobia. In 2016, Khan's Conservative opponent, Zac Goldsmith, was accused of anti-Muslim prejudice for suggesting Khan had connections to Islamic extremists.

Cuomo laughed along when a radio host suggested Mamdani would "be cheering" another 9/11 attack. Republican critics regularly and falsely label Mamdani a "jihadist" and Hamas supporter.

During his campaign, Mamdani pledged he would "not change who I am, how I eat, or the faith that I'm proud to call my own."

Khan has expressed feeling responsible for dispelling myths about Muslims and patiently addresses questions about his faith. He identifies as "a proud Brit, a proud Englishman, a proud Londoner and a proud Muslim."

Mamdani represents the progressive wing of his party as a democratic socialist whose digital-savvy campaign energized young voters and generated the highest mayoral election turnout in decades.

At 55, Khan is more of an establishment figure positioned in the center-left of the Labour Party.

Born to Pakistani immigrants—a bus driver father and seamstress mother—Khan grew up with seven siblings in a three-bedroom public housing apartment in south London.

After studying law and becoming a human rights attorney, Khan spent ten years as a Labour Party lawmaker before his historic 2016 election as the first Muslim leader of a major Western capital.

Mamdani comes from a more privileged background as the son of Ugandan anthropologist Mahmood Mamdani and acclaimed Indian filmmaker Mira Nair. Born in Uganda and raised in New York from age seven, he worked as an adviser for tenants facing eviction before being elected to the New York State Assembly in 2020.

Both Khan and Mamdani lead highly diverse cities of over 8 million people, whose residents share concerns about crime and high living costs—challenges that many mayors struggle to address effectively.

While Khan has secured three consecutive election victories, his popularity isn't overwhelming. Like Mamdani may discover, mayors often face blame for issues beyond their control, from high rents to violent crime, though Mamdani centered his campaign on rent stabilization.

Mamdani campaigned on bold promises including free childcare, free public transportation, expanded affordable housing, and city-operated grocery stores.

"Winning an election is one thing, delivering on promises is another," observed Darren Reid, a U.S. politics expert at Coventry University. "The mayor of New York definitely does not have unlimited power, and he is going to have a very powerful enemy in the current president."

London's mayoral authority encompasses public transit and policing but is more limited than New York's, as power is distributed among the city's 32 boroughs, which manage schools, social services, and public housing in their areas.

Khan has achieved modest successes, including free school meals for primary students and freezing transit fares, but has fallen short on other goals like ambitious housing development targets.

Tony Travers, a London School of Economics professor specializing in local government, suggests Mamdani should focus on "a limited number of fights that you can win."

Khan, who has asthma, has prioritized improving London's air quality—once so poor the city was nicknamed the Big Smoke. He expanded the Ultra Low Emission Zone, charging drivers of older, polluting vehicles a daily fee to enter the city.

This measure sparked intense criticism, protests, and vandalism of enforcement cameras. Khan firmly defended the policy, which research indicates has improved air quality. His substantial victory in last year's mayoral election seemed to validate his position.

Travers noted that beyond their shared religion and experiences with racism, both mayors face the paradox of leading vibrant, diverse cities that are "surprisingly peaceful and almost embarrassingly successful"—yet resented by the rest of their countries for their wealth and prominence.

He observed that London exists "in this strange alternative universe where it is simultaneously described by a number of commentators as sort of a hellhole... and yet on the other hand it's so embarrassingly rich that British governments spend their lives trying to level up the rest of the country to it. You can't win."