The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has been identified as a significant dark money donor to Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic socialist candidate for New York City mayor. Campaign finance records reveal that CAIR, which has ties to Islamic extremist groups, funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars to Mamdani’s campaign over the past year. Islamist activist Linda Sarour claims CAIR played a key role in mobilizing the broader Muslim-American community to support Mamdani, amplifying its influence beyond reported figures.
At CAIR’s National Leadership and Policy Conference in September, Sarour stated, “The story is not just that it’s random that Zohran ascended to this place; it is our Muslim-American communities… and I will also say that it’s Muslim money, the PACs that have supported Zohran or a particular PAC that has supported Zohran, is probably over 80 percent of Mulsim-American donors in this country.” She highlighted the Unity and Justice Fund PAC, CAIR’s SuperPAC, as the largest institutional donor to pro-Zohran efforts in New York.
Sarour emphasized that the financial support comes with expectations, stating she would not work for the Zohran administration. “Our friends on the inside need people on the outside to hold them accountable,” she warned.
