Slain NYPD officer's family embraces Mamdani as his police policies are attacked

Zohran Mamdani took his affordability campaign to mosques across New York City during the Democratic mayoral primary.

It was at one of these mosques in the Bronx a few months ago where he nearly crossed paths with Didarul Islam, the police officer who was among the four people killed by a gunman at a Midtown office building on Monday.

In an interview with Gothamist, Mamdani said he learned about the missed connection from Islam’s brother-in-law, Kamrul Hasan, who is also a police officer. Mamdani said he called Hasan earlier this week to offer his condolences.

“He told me through tears that he had in fact seen me before,” Mamdani said. “He was with Officer Islam during Eid prayers, and they had seen me and had wanted to come and speak with me, but there had been too many people between us.”

Hasan declined to be interviewed but confirmed the story through Shamsul Haque, a retired NYPD lieutenant commander and co-founder of the Bangladeshi American Police Association. Haque has served as a liaison for the Islam family.

Mamdani said he regretted that he never had the chance to meet Islam, but the tragedy of this week’s shooting has allowed him to meet the officer's family.

Mamdani said the family asked him to join them for breakfast on Wednesday. During Thursday's funeral service, he sat on the floor alongside Islam’s family at their request. Mosques typically do not have chairs, but some were brought in for elected officials who sat in a separate section.

Haque, who was at the funeral, said Mamdani was offered a chair twice and refused both times.

Islam's death has presented an opportunity for the mayoral candidates to push their messages on public safety. Mamdani's rival Andrew Cuomo has attacked him over his anti-police statements, while Mayor Eric Adams critiqued his proposal to dismantle a specialized NYPD unit. Mamdani has largely not backed down. Meanwhile, his ability to connect with Islam's family given his own South Asian and Muslim background could underscore the compelling nature with some voters.

If elected in November, Mamdani would become the city’s first Asian and Muslim mayor. He leaned into his religion and ethnic identity to appeal to a group of new voters during his primary run.

"The moment matches him,” Fordham University political science professor Christina Greer said of Mamdani. She said Islam “highlights the hundreds of thousands of Muslim New Yorkers who want representation and humanization.”

Islam was part of a tight-knit Bangladeshi community in the Bronx's Parkchester neighborhood, one of several South Asian enclaves where Mamdani vigorously campaigned and which shaped his surprising victory.

Haque, who was the first South Asian to reach the rank of lieutenant commander in the NYPD, said Mamdani's run has been “very inspiring” for other South Asians and Muslims to seek elected office. At least 1,000 of the NYPD’s 34,000 officers belong to the Bangladeshi American Police Association, according to Haque, while another 1,500 work in traffic enforcement and school safety.

The mass shooting became the general election's first high-profile crisis. Mamdani traveled straight to Islam’s home early Wednesday JFK International Airport after a much-publicized trip to visit his family in Uganda.

Mamdani told reporters that Islam’s sisters had asked him, “Who will we call ‘bhaiya’ now?’” using a Hindi word for older brother.

Recent history suggests that the left-leaning Mamdani will face a challenging, if not adversarial, relationship with the NYPD if elected. In 2020, Mamdani wrote social media posts calling to defund the police and one that seemed to take satisfaction in a crying officer.

In 2015, police officers turned their backs on former Mayor Bill de Blasio during the funeral of two slain colleagues because of his sympathy with anti-police protesters and an admission that he warned his biracial son to be careful around officers.

After the Midtown shooting, Cuomo pointed to Mamdani’s past social media posts. Mamdani accused Cuomo of trying to “litigate a race based upon tweets.” Questions also emerged about Mamdani’s plan to disband the Strategic Response Group, a specialized unit that responded to Monday’s shooting. He told reporters that the unit responded appropriately to the emergency, but has repeatedly violated civil rights in its handling of protests. He said he would still dismantle the team and replace it with another.

“What I am interested in as an outcome is how to live up to that city where New Yorkers need not choose between safety and justice, where both are delivered,” he said.

Adams, who is running for re-election as an independent, praised the Strategic Response Group during his remarks at Islam’s funeral.

“They entered the building while the shooter was still alive, and they conducted a floor-by-floor search,” he said. “They wanted to ensure that everyone in that building would have come out safely.”

Others have backed up Mamdani’s criticisms of the unit. “Some of us haven’t forgotten how innocent protesters were kettled during the George Floyd protests,” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said on X. “Demanding justice shouldn’t be met with brutality!”

Haque said Mamdani’s message on changing the culture and management of the NYPD resonated with him more than concerns about his past statements.

“I want to see New York City run very effectively,” he said. “We are all New Yorkers. We want to see the best people leading these various agencies.”

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated when Zohran Mamdani joined Didarul Islam's family for breakfast.