Nixon’s visit contrasts with Governor Cuomo’s lack of engagement with Muslim New Yorkers
The Muslim Democratic Club of New York (MDCNY) welcomed a visit to a New York City mosque and Islamic school by gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon, during which she met with Muslim New Yorkers and participated in the evening iftar, or breaking of the fast during the holy month of Ramadan.
MDCNY pointed out that Governor Andrew Cuomo has never visited a mosque during his two terms as New York State Governor. Mosques are not only the centers of Muslim communities but were also identified by a 2016 Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) study as catalysts for civic engagement, with regular attendees more likely to work with their neighbors to solve community problems, be registered to vote, and to plan to vote.
MDCNY Board Secretary Sadaf Mehdi said: “Today’s visit by Cynthia Nixon is a good first step in the campaign’s engagement with Muslim New Yorkers. With over one million Muslims just in the NYC metro area, and hundreds of thousands more across the state, the next Governor needs to meet and engage with Muslims if they truly want to represent all New Yorkers. For Governor Cuomo to have never interacted with Muslim New Yorkers in their communities is at best a gross oversight and at worst a deliberate shutting out of an entire religious group.”
“It’s easy to issue soundbites like ‘I’m a Muslim’ from afar, but for someone to be able to credibly claim that their governorship is a guard against Trump’s bigotry, they need to engage with communities at the grassroots level,” said Mohammad Khan, MDCNY Board Member. “We’re glad to see the Nixon campaign taking a step that Andrew Cuomo has avoided during his entire eight years as Governor, and look forward to more engagement with the campaign.”
MDCNY has not yet made an endorsement in the Democratic primary for NYS Governor.
The Muslim Democratic Club of New York is a city-wide organization dedicated to increasing the civic empowerment of Muslim New Yorkers and advancing progressive policies in the Democratic Party.
