[Editor's Note: This article is being reshared after New Yorkers elected Zohran Mamdani as their next mayor on Oct 5]

Zohran Mamdani, running for the position of New York Mayor, has been the talk of the town among Americans and non-Americans alike, catching much attention for his Indian heritage and being NYC's first Muslim mayor if elected.

The democratic socialist also speaks to many in America who are hoping for a drop in living expenses, as Mamdani aims to "bring down the rent, create world class public transit, and make it easier to raise a family".

As Mamdani runs his campaign, audiences are eagerly watching not just his political moves but also his family life. The family he came from, and the family he seeks to build.

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His parents are Mahmood Mamdani, colonialism and postcolonial studies professor at Columbia University of Gujarati Muslim descent and Mira Nair, an Indian-American filmmaker internationally acclaimed for her films like Monsoon Wedding and Salaam Bombay.

Mamdani is also married to Rama Duwaji, a Syrian illustrator and animator based in Brooklyn, NYC. In a "garden romance" rooftop setting in Dubai Creek Harbour, the two got engaged in late 2024, and held a Nikkah ceremony. Dubai is home to Duwaji's family, according to the Mamdani campaign.

This was before their marriage at a civil ceremony in the clerk's office at New York City, the Mamdani campaign added.

Watch the video of the venue, which was turned into a floral sanctuary, here:

Who is Rama Duwaji?

The Syrian-American illustrator and animator works in the digital medium, examining "the nuances of sisterhood and communal experiences," according to her official website.

She has worked with a variety of clients, most notably The New Yorker, The Washington Post, BBC, Apple, Spotify, VICE and the Tate Modern.

The animator also creates hand-built ceramics, to take a break from the digital world, and hosts workshops on combining illustration and pottery to create handmade, illustrated plates, according to her website.

Mamdani has asked social media commenters and "right-wing trolls" to avoid making the political race about his wife, and to focus on him instead.

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