Mamdani Invokes Mandela While Backing Umar Khalid and Palestine
The Democratic mayor reiterated his support for Khalid, asserting that the “manufactured terrorism” allegations against Khalid are much the same as Mandela faced during his time
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has come out in solidarity for jailed JNU student Umar Khalid, who is awaiting trial under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots. At the inauguration dais of Nelson Mandela Global Leadership Forum hosted by the Nelson Mandela Foundation at The Town Hall in New York City on 15 July 2026, the Democratic mayor reiterated his support for Khalid, asserting that the “manufactured terrorism” allegations against Khalid are much the same as Mandela faced during his time.
Referring to Mandela as Madiba throughout his speech, a revered clan name many use to respect the South African leader, Mamdani said that in his “...demand of solidarity from himself and from each of us, Madiba becomes more than a man, more than a Messiah.”
Likening accusations levelled against Mandela to what Umar Khalid is facing today, Mamdani asked why must all wait “... as Umar Khalid enters his 6th year of captivity in Delhi? A political prisoner jailed under the same manufactured charges of terrorism that were once leveled against Madiba. Why must we wait to stand steadfast alongside immigrants being targeted and preyed upon?,” he asked.
“I think of Omar El Akkad who wrote a book titled One Day everyone will have Always Been Against this. That sentence captures one of history's cruelest, most familiar habits. Eventually, almost everyone claims they opposed apartheid. Eventually, almost everyone claims they stood with Madiba, that they stood with Dr. King,” he said.
"Solidarity, as Madiba showed us for 95 years, is not just a value, it is a strategy," Mamdani said, asserting that "It was only through that solidarity that South Africa could envision a future different than the past." His speech also questioned the developments in Palestine, and asked "Why must we wait until 1000 more parents bury their children? Until even more lose their limbs, their homes, their futures to come together and insist upon Palestinian freedom. Why must Doctor Hussam Abu Safiya wait more than 18 months for freedom in Israeli detention, a detention that continues to this day, after the world watched him be kidnapped as he left his hospital, watched as he was wasting away in prison."
Mamdani is currently the most popular figure among Democratic leaders in the United States. Even within the party, he has vocally taken the side of those who identify as Democratic Socialists and has been accused of being a “left radical” by Republicans and conservative Americans alike.
Mamdani’s father, Professor Mahmood Mamdani, is a renowned Ugandan scholar, political scientist, and anthropologist known for his groundbreaking analysis of post-colonial African politics. His mother Mira Nair is Indian American filmmaker acclaimed in her field of work.
