Digital Hate and Democracy: Unpacking Islamophobia in the Wake of Mamdani’s Rise

Zohran Mamdani recently made history by becoming the Democratic mayoral candidate for New York City. Running on a bold progressive platform—including policies like rent freezes and free public transit—his campaign resonated with working-class New Yorkers. Yet, his candidacy also became a target for a surge of online hate, driven largely by his Muslim identity.

According to a recent report from the Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH), Islamophobic posts skyrocketed from an average of 56 to over 2,100 per day during the days surrounding the election. The report highlights how a toxic convergence of Islamophobia, ideological fear-mongering, and xenophobic rhetoric shaped online discourse around Mamdani and Muslim communities.

This alarming rise in anti-Muslim content also included inflammatory posts from prominent U.S. politicians—evidence of how deeply Islamophobia has been normalized within mainstream political dialogue.

In this virtual event, a panel of expert speakers discussed the findings of the CSOH report and examined the broader implications of digital hate. They explored how these online trends undermine democratic values, fuel real-world harm, and threaten the safety and participation of Muslim communities in public life.