(The Center Square) – In a move that is being celebrated in right-wing social media circles and panned as racist by some on the left, Tennessee Congressman Rep. Andy Ogles has petitioned the Attorney General’s office to denaturalize and deport New York City mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani.
Mamdani, a Democrat, is a Shia Muslim of Indian descent and was born in Uganda. He immigrated to the United States with his parents at the age of seven and was naturalized in 2018.
In his letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Ogles claims Mamdani misrepresented himself on his citizenship paperwork.
Ogles points to a musical reference Mamdani made to freeing the Holy Land Five, a group of organizers who were prosecuted after the Holy Land Foundation was deemed a terrorist organization by the U.S. government for its support of the Palestinian cause. Their 2008 convictions raised questions amongst human rights groups and remains a controversial rallying point for critics of Israel and the U.S. to this day.
“If an individual publicly glorifies a group convicted of financing terrorism, it is entirely appropriate for federal authorities to inquire whether that individual engaged in non-public forms of support—such as organizational affiliation, fundraising or advocacy—that would have required disclosure on form N-400 or during a naturalization interview,” Ogles said.
The congressman maintains that the song lyric coupled with the fact that Mamdani “refused opportunities to reject the pro-terrorist rallying cry to ‘globalize the intifada’” create a troubling pattern that goes beyond First Amendment rights.
“Intifada” is an Arabic word meaning “to shudder” used by supporters of Palestine to encourage the “shaking off” of the Israeli regime. It has been used frequently to describe uprisings throughout Southwest Asia and North Africa during the 20th and 21st centuries.
Ogles has taken to posting about Mamdani, referring to him as “little mohammad,” echoing derogatory speech frequently used against Arab-Americans and other Muslim Americans.
The congressman has also painted Mamdani as an antisemite. Mamdani, frequently faced with the accusation, has publicly expressed support and concern for Jews on numerous occasions. Politically, he has received significant support from within the Jewish community.
Mamdani’s views on Israel and Palestine have played an outsize role in the race, while the candidate tried to keep his campaign focused on economic issues. Conflation of criticism of the Israeli government with antisemitism has been a major point of contention nationally since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
While some pro-Palestinians in the U.S. support the occupied state’s right to armed resistance as allowed through Protocol I of the Geneva Convention, there is no clear consensus among Americans on the matter.
The U.S. movement has predominantly emphasized non-violence and has been led largely by college students. Nevertheless, the vicious attacks seen in Colorado, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania in the name of Palestine have rocked the Jewish community and added tension to the divide between Americans on the issue.
Mamdani’s father is distinguished professor Mahmood Mamdani. His mother is filmmaker Mira Nair.
