(MENAFN- Live Mint) London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Wednesday (November 5) congratulated Zohran Mamdani on becoming New York City's first Muslim mayor, calling it a victory of“hope over fear.”

Sadiq Khan described Mamdani's election as“a fantastic win” and praised New Yorkers for choosing optimism over division.“New Yorkers faced a clear choice - between hope and fear - and hope won,” Khan told Reuters.

Shared journeys: From London to New York

Drawing parallels between their experiences, Sadiq Khan noted that both he and Mamdani broke barriers as Muslim mayors in major Western cities.“I suspect the reason why Zohran won by such a big majority was people could relate to what he was saying,” Sadiq Khan said, adding,“Him being a Muslim is almost beside the point.”

Mamdani, 34, a Democratic Socialist, secured victory after promising to raise taxes on corporations and the wealthy to fund frozen rents, free childcare, and free city buses - policies that energized progressive voters.

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Khan recalled facing similar hostility when first elected in 2016, including attacks from Donald Trump, who has repeatedly clashed with him over the years. Trump once labeled Khan a“stone cold loser” and accused him of wanting to impose Sharia law in London.

Responding to such rhetoric, Khan said in September that Trump was“racist, sexist, misogynistic and Islamophobic.”

“London, like New York, is a city that is liberal, multicultural, progressive, and also incredibly successful,” Khan said.“We are the antithesis of everything that Donald Trump is about. You can see why President Donald Trump hates London, hates New York, and hates the fact that Londoners, like New Yorkers, have chosen hope over Donald Trump's vision of fear.”

'Stand up to bullies'

Reflecting on leadership under pressure, Khan urged Mamdani to be unafraid of challenging powerful figures when necessary.“Don't be scared to sometimes stand up to a national leader - particularly if that national leader is a bully,” he said.

Khan, a human rights-trained lawyer and member of Prime Minister Keir Starmer 's Labour Party, added that while mayors should cooperate with national governments when it benefits their cities, and this doesn't mean bowing to them.

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