NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Attends Ramadan Prayers at Center Tied to Iranian Front Group | WATCH
Mayor Zohran Mamdani attended Ramadan prayers at the Al-Khoei Islamic Center, a site linked to the Alavi Foundation, labeled an Iranian government front by the DOJ. Details on the controversial "infidel" liturgy and Mamdani’s history with the center.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani attended Friday prayers at a Queens mosque with deep ties to an organization the U.S. Department of Justice has labeled an Iranian government front. The visit, occurring on the first Friday of Ramadan, included a reported prayer by the imam invoking a messianic figure to vanquish "infidels" though context suggests it's part of traditional Shia liturgy rather than a call to immediate action.
On February 20, 2026, Mayor Mamdani joined Friday prayers at the Al-Khoei Islamic Center in Queens, the kickoff to Ramadan.
The event was documented by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), with echoes on X (formerly Twitter) featuring video clips from the center's platforms. Mamdani has a history of attending events there, including Muharram gatherings, and prior reports from 2025 note his participation in prayers at other mosques, such as one in Puerto Rico during his transition to mayor.
Heres where it gets tricky: The Al-Khoei Center maintains associations with the Alavi Foundation, which offers financial and operational support to various Shia institutions across the U.S. Founded in 1973 as the Pahlavi Foundation under Iran's Shah, it underwent restructuring post-1979 Islamic Revolution and faces accusations of functioning under the Islamic Republic of Iran's influence.
The U.S. Department of Justice has consistently portrayed the Alavi Foundation as a front for the Iranian government.
Key milestones include:
The foundation denies direct Iranian oversight, though its ex-president was convicted for document destruction amid probes. Importantly, the DOJ has clarified no wrongdoing by tenants or users of Alavi-supported sites like mosques.
The Imam's Prayer and Its Context
During the service, the imam reportedly incorporated a prayer calling on the Mahdi, a central Shia eschatological figure, to "kill the infidels by his sword" or "strike down non-believers." MEMRI's transcript and video breakdown frames this as a ritual plea for Muslim triumph over "Qawm al-Kafiroon" (non-Muslims or infidels), common in certain traditional Shia prayers.
Such invocations draw from hadiths and beliefs about the Mahdi ushering in justice, potentially involving confrontations with oppressors or non-believers. Critics view them as implying dominance over non-Muslims.