The wife of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani apologized for controversial comments she made on social media in the past.
Rama Duwaji, a Texas-born Syrian American artist, participated in an interview with Hyperallergic where she discussed her career and politics.
She explained that when it comes to her art, “Everything is political: what we choose to show, what we choose to omit, the stories we highlight and the ones we leave in the margins.”
When asked whether becoming a public figure has changed her, Duwaji said, “This experience has absolutely changed my life” and that she is “still figuring out how it applies to me as an artist and as a person, both thinking of the future and the past.”
She further explained that being in this position “forced me to confront how much I’ve changed, even before this moment.”
When a tabloid recently published old tweets I wrote as a teenager, I felt a lot of shame being confronted with language I used that is so harmful to others; being 15 doesn’t excuse it. I’ve read and seen a lot of what others have had to say in response, and I understand the hurt I caused and am truly sorry. My focus isn’t on being a public figure, but continuing my work with care and responsibility, and allowing my art to speak for itself.
On Oct 7 massacre 1,200 Israelis slaughtered, homes like these incinerated by Hamas.
— Michael C (@Michaeach3) April 16, 2026
Rama Duwaji liked those posts and cheered it online, calling it glorious "resistance."
Her vague "sorry" is a sick cover-up attempt.
Repost it and don't let her gaslight you! pic.twitter.com/aCkhm9jfGj
The controversy centers on a series of old social media posts and reposts that many criticized as racist, antisemitic, or supportive of violent extremists. In 2013, when she was 15-years-old, she used the N-word in an X post. In 2015, she reposted a thread saying Israel “shouldn’t exist in the first place.”
During a press conference earlier this year, Mamdani defended his wife, saying she is “a private person who has held no formal position on my campaign or in my City Hall.”
Zohran Mamdani responds after his wife liked Instagram posts celebrating October 7th attack.
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) March 7, 2026
“My wife is the love of my life and she’s also a private person.”
Rama Duwaji liked one post of Palestinians breaching Israel’s border which said “breaking the walls of apartheid.” pic.twitter.com/SDtdQa2VL0
In September 2017, Duwaji posted an image on Tumblr showing Palestinian militant Leila Khaled with the caption: If it does good for my cause, I’ll be happy to accept death.” The artist also allegedly liked Instagram posts celebrating the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.
The posts made national headlines in March after several media outlets found them and circulated screenshots on social media. Jewish Insider first highlighted some of her Instagram likes and The Free Beacon uncovered older material from her teenage years.