Andrew Cuomo has repeatedly made Islamophobic remarks against frontrunner Zohran Mamdani throughout this year's NYC mayoral campaign. He routinely mispronounced his opponent's name during debates. His campaign has released several discriminatory videos that altered Mamdani's appearance and used AI to depict "criminals for Zohran Mamdani." He invoked 9/11 and suggested that Mamdani would cheer a terrorist attack as NYC's mayor. And when this persistent, racist rhetoric is called out directly, Cuomo claims that "Islamophobia is not real in this race."

Not only is this bad political strategy (it's estimated that roughly 9% of NYC's population is Muslim) it's downright dangerous for Muslim Americans across the country. Muslim Americans have seen a clear increase in violent attacks in recent years. This includes (but is not limited to) a Stanford student who was hit by a driver that allegedly yelled "f*** you and your people" before driving off. The shooting of three Palestinian American students in Burlington, Vermont. And the stabbing of a Palestinian American mother and her son by an elderly man who allegedly told his victims "you, as a Muslim, must die."

Cuomo's campaign rhetoric only accelerates this type of violent behavior due to the way he repeatedly paints Muslims as un-American and inherently violent. It reaffirms lingering prejudices about perceived "outsiders" and increases a sense of urgency for violent actors. It should surprise no one that this line of attack excites Republicans, even encouraging President Donald Trump to give Cuomo an eleventh-hour endorsement. What's worse is that Cuomo's Islamophobia has largely gone unaddressed by national Democratic leaders. Some Democratic New York legislators have even waded into Islamophobic waters themselves before backtracking, like Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Laura Gillen. This is a major problem. If Republicans believe that there's a subset of the Democratic base who will turn a blind eye toward (if not, openly engage in) Islamophobia, then they'll gladly use their power to enact harm.

Republicans have been champing at the bit to take aim at our country's Muslim communities even before Donald Trump's infamous Muslim travel ban at the start of his first term. Knowing that they'll have support from moderate Democrats like Cuomo's supporters will only encourage them to find new ways to commit harm. We have to stand up for our fellow Americans' basic human rights at every opportunity and demand our legislators do the same. The First Amendment of our Constitution clearly states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Therefore, the most American thing we can all do in this moment is to defend our neighbors and fight against unpatriotic Christians who are attempting to directly violate our Constitution. And any Democratic politician who hesitates to join us should step aside and make space for more courageous voices who are willing and able to meet the moment.