Washington, DC (November 3, 2025) — The Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH) today released a new report, Islamophobia and the New York City Mayoral Election, documenting the scale and intensity of online Islamophobic and xenophobic discourse around the New York City mayoral campaign between June 24 and October 31, 2025. The analysis identified 35,522 original posts authored by 17,752 unique accounts on X (formerly Twitter). Collectively, these posts received 7.37 million likes and 2.01 million reposts, with an estimated reach of 1.5 billion.
Nearly four in ten accounts (39 percent) spreading the harmful content were verified blue-badge users, who together produced 16,039 posts, approximately 45 percent of all original Islamophobic content. The report found that Islamophobic narratives intensified significantly over time, with October alone accounting for 43 percent of total posts, a more than 450 percent increase from September.
The report’s thematic analysis found that extremist and terrorist labeling was the most dominant narrative, comprising 72 percent of all original posts. These posts framed Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani as a terrorist, radical, or violent threat, reflecting persistent efforts to conflate Muslim identity with extremism. Islamization conspiracies represented 8 percent of the content and advanced claims about “sharia law,” “Muslim takeover,” and other fear-based narratives. Calls for Mamdani’s deportation and revocation of citizenship accounted for 11 percent of the dataset, while 9 percent of posts questioned his patriotism and loyalty through language such as “traitor,” “enemy within,” and “anti-American.”
“Our analysis shows how Islamophobic and xenophobic narratives continue to shape digital political discourse in deeply harmful ways,” said Raqib Naik, Executive Director of CSOH.
“The scale of online hate directed at Zohran Mamdani reflects a broader normalization of anti-Muslim sentiment that extends beyond a single campaign. Islamophobic and xenophobic narratives not only endanger candidates but also contribute to an environment of hostility that undermines the safety, inclusion, and democratic participation of Muslim Americans,” said Eviane Leidig, Director of Research and Outreach.
The full report is available for download here
For media inquiries or to request interviews with report authors, please contact: [email protected]