{"id":108551,"date":"2025-10-29T08:27:31","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T12:27:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/mamdanis-mother-in-unearthed-2013-interview-he-is-not-an-american-at-all-108551"},"modified":"2025-10-29T08:27:31","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T12:27:31","slug":"mamdanis-mother-in-unearthed-2013-interview-he-is-not-an-american-at-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/mamdanis-mother-in-unearthed-2013-interview-he-is-not-an-american-at-all-108551","title":{"rendered":"Mamdani’s mother in unearthed 2013 interview: ‘He is not an American at all’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

FIRST ON FOX:\u00a0<\/strong>The mother of New York City socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani<\/a> gave an interview when he was a 21-year-old American college student discussing how her son is “not an American at all” while using terminology that some view as derogatory toward the United States.<\/p>\n

“He is a total desi,” filmmaker Mira Nair\u00a0told the Hindustan Times<\/u><\/a> in a 2013 interview, when her son Zohran was 21 years old. At the time, Zohran was attending Bowdoin College where he co-founded the school\u2019s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter and was\u00a0pushing for academic sanctions<\/u><\/a> against Israel.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Completely. We are not firangs at all. He is very much us. He is not an Uhmericcan (American) at all. He was born in Uganda, raised between India and America. He is at home in many places. He thinks of himself as a Ugandan and as an Indian.”<\/p>\n

In Hindi and Urdu, “firang” is an informal term historically used to describe foreigners or Westerners.<\/p>\n

\u2018ABSOLUTELY A COMMUNIST\u2019: MAMDANI DODGES LABEL, BUT HIS RECORD AND EXPERT SAY OTHERWISE<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

But Mehek Cooke, an attorney born in India who serves as a GOP consultant and commentator, told Fox News Digital that the word is not “some harmless cultural term,” but rather a “slur.”<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s the word used back in India to mock outsiders, to say you don\u2019t belong,” Cooke said. “Using it here about your own child raised in the United States carries the same tone as calling someone a derogatory word \u2014 or worse. It\u2019s flippant, divisive, and dripping with contempt for the very country that gave your family a better life.”<\/p>\n

Cooke added, “When Mamdani\u2019s mother says her son was \u2018never a firang and only desi,\u2019 it\u2019s a rejection of America. It\u2019s ungrateful, disrespectful, and frankly repulsive to live in this country since age seven, receive every freedom, education, and opportunity America offers, and still deny being American.”<\/p>\n

Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and moved to the United States at age 7,\u00a0holds dual citizenship with the U.S. and Uganda, and was naturalized as an American in 2018.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nair went on to emphasize in the interview, “we only speak Hindustani at home” and described her son as a “very chaalu fellow,” using a term that is often translated to mean savvy or street smart.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“He\u2019s his own person,” Mamdani\u2019s Columbia University professor father, Mahmood, told the New York Times in an\u00a0interview earlier this year<\/u><\/a> headlined, “The Parents Who Helped Shape Zohran Mamdani\u2019s Politics.”<\/p>\n

Mahmood Mamdani added, “Now, of course, what we do as his parents is part of the environment in which he grew up, and he couldn\u2019t help but engage with it. That doesn\u2019t mean anything is reflected back on us.”<\/p>\n

“I don\u2019t agree!” Nair interjected in the interview. “Of course the world we live in, and what we write and film and think about, is the world that Zohran has very much absorbed.”<\/p>\n

HOUSE REPUBLICAN DEMANDS ZOHRAN MAMDANI BE STRIPPED OF CITIZENSHIP, DEPORTED OVER ‘ANTI-ISRAEL’ STANCE<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Mahmood Mamdani\u2019s positions have faced heavy criticism on social media, particularly his stance on Israel and\u00a0opposition to “settler colonialism,”<\/u><\/a> highlighted by his\u00a0position on the advisory council<\/u><\/a> of an anti-Israel organization that supports boycotts and sanctions of Israel and routinely accuses the Israeli government of committing “genocide.”<\/p>\n

In recent days, a video of Mahmood Mamdani claiming that Adolf Hitler was inspired by Abraham Lincoln, which Fox News digital\u00a0reported on in July<\/u><\/a>, has resurfaced on social media, racking up millions of views.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, during a controversy over Mamdani identifying as “Black or African American” on a college application, Mamdani told the New York Times<\/a> he identifies as “an American who was born in Africa.”<\/p>\n

“This isn\u2019t just about identity, it’s about values,” Cooke told Fox News Digital. “Rejecting the label of \u2018American\u2019 while living under the flag, enjoying the freedoms, and cashing in on the opportunities is a rejection of American values themselves: gratitude, unity, and pride in country.”<\/p>\n

“And if you raise your child to believe he was \u2018never a firang,\u2019 never an American, what message are you sending? That he owes nothing to this nation? That he can take the benefits without any sense of belonging or loyalty? That mindset breeds resentment. And that\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re seeing play out in politics today.”<\/p>\n

Fox News Digital reached out to Nair and the Mamdani campaign for comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Nair, a highly respected filmmaker in India, seemed to predict a life in politics was in store for her son during the Hindustan Times interview, saying she doesn\u2019t want him to follow in her footsteps but instead pursue his interests.<\/p>\n

“No, no, he should do whatever he wants to do,” Nair said. “I don\u2019t see it in him to make movies. He is very involved with current affairs, politics, and political issues. I think he can be engaged in the world in someway to make a difference. He is very, very interested in that.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source – https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/mamdanis-mother-in-unearthed-interview-he-is-not-an-american-at-all <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FIRST ON FOX:\u00a0The mother of New York City socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani gave an interview when he was a 21-year-old American college student discussing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_2902945987_2902945987":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[16563],"tags":[],"stock_ticker":[],"class_list":["post-108551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-market-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMamdani's mother in unearthed 2013 interview: 'He is not an American at all' - Wall Street PR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/mamdanis-mother-in-unearthed-2013-interview-he-is-not-an-american-at-all-108551\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mamdani's mother in unearthed 2013 interview: 'He is not an American at all' - Wall Street PR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"FIRST ON FOX:\u00a0The mother of New York City socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani gave an interview when he was a 21-year-old American college student discussing […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/mamdanis-mother-in-unearthed-2013-interview-he-is-not-an-american-at-all-108551\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Wall Street PR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-29T12:27:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/businessman-showing-business-evolution1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"715\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"423\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/mamdanis-mother-in-unearthed-2013-interview-he-is-not-an-american-at-all-108551#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/mamdanis-mother-in-unearthed-2013-interview-he-is-not-an-american-at-all-108551\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36\"},\"headline\":\"Mamdani’s mother in unearthed 2013 interview: ‘He is not an American at all’\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-29T12:27:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/mamdanis-mother-in-unearthed-2013-interview-he-is-not-an-american-at-all-108551\"},\"wordCount\":865,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Market News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/mamdanis-mother-in-unearthed-2013-interview-he-is-not-an-american-at-all-108551\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/mamdanis-mother-in-unearthed-2013-interview-he-is-not-an-american-at-all-108551\",\"name\":\"Mamdani's mother in unearthed 2013 interview: 'He is not an American at all' - Wall Street PR\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-29T12:27:31+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/mamdanis-mother-in-unearthed-2013-interview-he-is-not-an-american-at-all-108551#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/mamdanis-mother-in-unearthed-2013-interview-he-is-not-an-american-at-all-108551\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/mamdanis-mother-in-unearthed-2013-interview-he-is-not-an-american-at-all-108551#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Mamdani’s mother in unearthed 2013 interview: ‘He is not an American at all’\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\",\"name\":\"Wall Street PR\",\"description\":\"Latest News From WallStreet\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Wall Street PR\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png\",\"width\":537,\"height\":70,\"caption\":\"Wall Street PR\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/WallstreetPRs\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/author\/admin\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Mamdani's mother in unearthed 2013 interview: 'He is not an American at all' - Wall Street PR","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/mamdanis-mother-in-unearthed-2013-interview-he-is-not-an-american-at-all-108551","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Mamdani's mother in unearthed 2013 interview: 'He is not an American at all' - Wall Street PR","og_description":"FIRST ON FOX:\u00a0The mother of New York City socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani gave an interview when he was a 21-year-old American college student discussing […]","og_url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/mamdanis-mother-in-unearthed-2013-interview-he-is-not-an-american-at-all-108551","og_site_name":"Wall Street PR","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/","article_published_time":"2025-10-29T12:27:31+00:00","og_image":[{"width":715,"height":423,"url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/businessman-showing-business-evolution1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/mamdanis-mother-in-unearthed-2013-interview-he-is-not-an-american-at-all-108551#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/mamdanis-mother-in-unearthed-2013-interview-he-is-not-an-american-at-all-108551"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36"},"headline":"Mamdani’s mother in unearthed 2013 interview: ‘He is not an American at all’","datePublished":"2025-10-29T12:27:31+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/mamdanis-mother-in-unearthed-2013-interview-he-is-not-an-american-at-all-108551"},"wordCount":865,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Market News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/mamdanis-mother-in-unearthed-2013-interview-he-is-not-an-american-at-all-108551","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/mamdanis-mother-in-unearthed-2013-interview-he-is-not-an-american-at-all-108551","name":"Mamdani's mother in unearthed 2013 interview: 'He is not an American at all' - Wall Street PR","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-10-29T12:27:31+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/mamdanis-mother-in-unearthed-2013-interview-he-is-not-an-american-at-all-108551#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/mamdanis-mother-in-unearthed-2013-interview-he-is-not-an-american-at-all-108551"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/mamdanis-mother-in-unearthed-2013-interview-he-is-not-an-american-at-all-108551#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Mamdani’s mother in unearthed 2013 interview: ‘He is not an American at all’"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/","name":"Wall Street PR","description":"Latest News From WallStreet","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization","name":"Wall Street PR","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png","width":537,"height":70,"caption":"Wall Street PR"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/","https:\/\/x.com\/WallstreetPRs"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg","caption":"admin"},"url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/author\/admin"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108551\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108551"},{"taxonomy":"stock_ticker","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stock_ticker?post=108551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}