Fact Check: Did Zohran Mamdani ask New Yorkers to accept Sharia law?
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A rumor circulating on social media platforms has claimed that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's approval rating has dropped to a record low after he told New Yorkers to accept Sharia law. The post claimed Mamdani is facing opposition from families of 9/11 victims, sparking speculation and requiring a fact-check.
Claim: Zohran Mamdani promoted Sharia law
According to a claim that surfaced in a Facebook post, a Quinnipiac poll released on Tuesday shows that Mamdani’s approval rating has plummeted to 28 percent, down from 41 percent just six weeks ago.
The post, which was accompanied by an article, states that during a public meeting at town hall in Queens, the Mayor said, “Adaptation to Sharia principles is inevitable” and suggested that “New Yorkers should begin familiarizing themselves with Islamic jurisprudence.”
The article alleges that a leaked video of the speech has been widely circulating online, in which Mamdani appears to say that “the Constitution is a living document, but the Quran is eternal.”
Mamdani’s office purportedly clarified the alleged remarks, stating that they were taken out of context and he was discussing “shared values between faith traditions.”
Fact Check: The claim originated from a satire account
The claim, however, is false, as there are no records of Mamdani making such a remark, nor are there any polls that show a record-low approval.
A search in Google for the keywords ‘Mamdani Sharia law’ and ‘Mamdani approval rating’ yielded no results from prominent news media outlets, which, if true, will not go unreported, given the controversy surrounding the Sharia law.
The claim about Mamdani’s office clarifying the alleged remark is also baseless; hence, the claim is rated as false.
Moreover, the claim surfaced from a Facebook account called ‘America’s Last Line Of Defense,’ which describes itself in the bio as ‘Nothing on this page is real.’
Zohran Mamdani faces pressure from 9/11 victim families
The claim surfaced as the Democratic Socialist is facing growing pressure from the families of 9/11 victims, who are seeking to ban him from the city's 25th anniversary commemoration ceremonies next month.
In response to the boycott, Mamdani told reporters, “I will proudly honor the families, the survivors, the first responders, forever impacted by that horrific attack by standing alongside them at this year's 9/11 commemoration, reaffirming that we will never forget the solemn day felt by all of us who call this city home and, frankly, by all of us who call this country home."
