London Mayor Sadiq Khan congratulated Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday (5 November) on becoming New York City’s first Muslim mayor, calling it a victory of “hope over fear”.
Sadiq Khan described Mamdani’s election as a “fantastic victory” and praised New Yorkers for choosing optimism over division. “The people of New York faced a stark choice – between hope and fear – and hope won,” Khan told Reuters.
Shared journeys: From London to New York
Sadiq Khan drew parallels between their experiences, noting that both he and Mamdani broke barriers as Muslim mayors in major Western cities. “I think the reason Zohran won with such a large majority was because people could relate to what he was saying,” Sadiq Khan said, adding: “The fact that he is a Muslim is almost irrelevant.”
Mamdani, 34, a democratic socialist, secured victory after promising to raise taxes on corporations and the wealthy to fund rent freezes, free childcare and free city buses – policies that have emboldened progressive voters.
Facing Islamophobia and Adversity
Khan recalled that he faced similar hostility when he was first elected in 2016, including attacks from Donald Trump, who has clashed with him repeatedly over the years. Trump once called Khan a “stone loser” and accused him of wanting to impose Sharia law in London.
In response to such rhetoric, Khan said in September that Trump was “racist, sexist, misogynistic and Islamophobic.”
“London, like New York, is a city that is liberal, multicultural, progressive and also incredibly successful,” Khan said. “We are the antithesis of everything Donald Trump is about. You can see why President Donald Trump hates London, hates New York and hates the fact that Londoners, like New Yorkers, chose hope over Donald Trump’s vision of fear.”
‘Stand Up to the Bullies’
Reflecting on leadership under pressure, Khan urged Mamdani not to be afraid to challenge powerful figures when necessary. “Don’t ever be afraid to stand up to a national leader — especially if that national leader is a bully,” he said.
Khan, a lawyer trained in human rights and a member of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labor Party, added that while mayors should work with national governments when it benefits their cities, that doesn’t mean they bow to them.
(Tattranslate)sadiq Khan
