In whatever context she means the word Jihad, it is explicitly clear that a big chunk of voters in Mamdami’s coalition back him for religious, not ideological, reasons. The US left’s lack of Discomfort with that is Revealing.

Zohran Mamdani’s intern Hadeeqa Arzoo Malik explains that electing him is part of a Holy War and jihad:

“This is all jihad, this is all ibadah, this is all counted by Allah. How committed am I to this? What am I willing to sacrifice for this noble cause?”pic.twitter.com/8oWzjUfW6v

— Dr. Maalouf ‏ (@realMaalouf) November 4, 2025