The Mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, attended an iftar organized by the Islamic Community and the Cultural Center Plav and Gusinje in New York.
In a warm and spiritual atmosphere, Mamdani addressed those present with heartfelt words.
The Mayor, the first Muslim to hold this position in the history of New York, spoke in a way that drew particular attention and sympathy, emphasizing that he had not come only as an official, but as a friend. He also referred to the difficult history of many Bosniaks who were forced to seek a new home outside their homeland, quoting a verse from Surah Ash-Sharh: “So, surely with hardship comes ease.”
“As-Salamu Alaykum, my friends. It is such a joy and a pleasure to be here, not just as your mayor but as your brother. To be here, to be with this community it is a reminder of many journeys that many take to come to New York City. I know that many in this community came here after genocide. They came here out of necessity to find a place for safety, to find a place where one can be oneself. I know that there are many who still mourn brothers and sisters, and family members who are lost, taken,” Mamdani said.
Mamdani highlighted the importance of spiritual renewal, but also smiled as he recalled the familiar feeling of hunger before iftar.
“While our stomachs growl with hunger, we look forward to iftar. I am looking forward to ćevapi, ajvar, but also to the memories that all those foods have brought with them,” Mamdani said.
He also shared how his connection to the Balkans began.
“I grew up with my friend Selman Mujović, he taught me to say: ‘Dobro, dobro, ti, kako si?’ (‘Good, good, and you, how are you?’) These are my memories as a New Yorker,” Mamdani said, recalling his childhood in the city.
Selman Mujović, a doctor and innovator originally from Montenegro, has long lived in New York. His father is from Plav and his mother from Gusinje, which connects him to the Bosniak community in the city. He and Zohran Mamdani, the current Mayor of New York, have been friends since childhood, and their friendship, as well as their shared efforts to improve community life, has left a lasting impact on their lives.
At the end of his speech, he thanked the Bosniak community for its political engagement, emphasizing the importance of participation in elections for the future of all.
“Your turning out to the elections is not a small step, but a big moment. When you take that decision to cast that ballot, you start to reshape the understanding on who gets to belong in this city, because it is also us,” Mamdani concluded.
At the end, he extended Eid greetings in Bosnian: “Bajram Šerif Mubarek Olsun” (Eid Mubarak).
A few days earlier, the Mayor organized the first official Ramadan iftar at City Hall, setting a new standard in recognizing religious freedom and multiculturalism in this metropolis.
