Mamdani faces questions over ties to outlet accused of antisemitic tropes
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing questions about his relationship with Uncivilized Media, a Qatar-based controversial outlet that has been accused of spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories.
Mamdani sat with the Uncivilized Media in 2023, and Fox News Digital found that he was still following the account on Instagram as of July 24, 2026. However, he appeared to have unfollowed the account, and as of July 27, 2026, he was no longer listed as a follower on Instagram. However, clips from his interview with Uncivilized Media were shared as collaborative posts on Instagram, meaning they appeared on both Mamdani's account and the outlet's account.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and other experts on online antisemitism say that Uncivilized Media has produced content accusing Jews and Israelis of seeking global domination, being inherently colonialist and controlling the media, among other conspiracy theories. The organization noted several examples of what it said was Uncivilized Media pushing antisemitic tropes, including a July 2026 video in which Uncivilized Media accused Israelis of attempting to "colonize the world."
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Oren Segal, the ADL's senior vice president of counter-extremism and intelligence, told Fox News Digital that Uncivilized Media routinely promotes "classic tropes about Jews" in its content. He said that while the outlet's interviews with Mamdani did not focus on these conspiracies, some Jewish New Yorkers have wondered how exactly the mayor's views diverge from those held by the outlet.
"When one appears on any platform, it kind of normalizes the rest of the content that is out there," Segal told Fox News Digital, adding that neither he nor the ADL were accusing Mamdani of promoting or endorsing all of Uncivilized Media's content.
"What we are saying is that the connections between him and this particular digital entity raise questions for many New Yorkers who are curious as to whether the rest of the programming on there is something he believes in," Segal added.
In his interview with Uncivilized Media, which was originally posted on Sept. 11, 2023, Mamdani said the issue of the Palestinians was "central to my identity," framing it as a struggle for freedom.
"We say we care about freedom and justice and self-determination and yet, for some reason, we draw a line when it comes to Palestinians," Mamdani said.
He also spoke about how his background played a role in his views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"When you grow up as someone especially in the Third World, you have a very different understanding of the Palestinian struggle. It is one that is framed in terms of empathy and solidarity," Mamdani, who moved to New York at age seven, told the outlet.
In another video, which was posted days after the first clip, Mamdani said that progressive views and Muslim beliefs were in "inherent solidarity." He also identified himself as a socialist and "not simply progressive."
"What we also have now is a fight over what it means to be Muslim and what those Muslim values are. And I think that there is an attempt to frame those values [in opposition] to certain core progressive tenets," he said. "This idea of a single story that Muslims stand in opposition to queer rights, it attempts to flatten out a community whose history goes beyond hundreds of years in more than hundreds of countries."
The resurfacing of Mamdani's appearance with the outlet sparked concerns among some Jewish New Yorkers who believe their community's relationship with City Hall has deteriorated. Segal suggested that Mamdani could put worried New Yorkers at ease by publicly denouncing Uncivilized Media's spreading of antisemitic conspiracy theories.
"If Mayor Mamdani claims that he is building a better New York when there's many Jewish residents who consistently feel unheard, I think it's fair to ask him to clarify whether this program, that he has appeared on, represents his views on Israelis more broadly in terms of their content," Segal said.
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The renewed scrutiny of Mamdani came after his statement last month on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a video announcing that he did not have the legal authority to arrest the Israeli leader, Mamdani accused Netanyahu of being "a war criminal" and "the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people."
Neither Mamdani's office nor Uncivilized Media responded to Fox News Digital's request for comment.