Hamas-Linked Group Funded Zohran Mamdani’s Mayoral Campaign: Mentor Linda Sarsour

<p>Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour has claimed that the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), currently facing congressional scrutiny over alleged links to Hamas-was the primary financial backer of Zohran Mamdani&rsquo;s New York City mayoral campaign. According to a report in The New York Post, Sarsour, a long-time political mentor and ally of the Democrat frontrunner, boasted that she and the Hamas-linked non-profit were instrumental in fuelling Mamdani&rsquo;s rise. The claims have sparked fresh controversy amid an ongoing federal investigation into CAIR&rsquo;s alleged financial connections to the terrorist organisation.</p>
<p>Sarsour named the CAIR-funded Unity and Justice Fund PAC, describing it as &ldquo;the largest institutional donor to the pro-Zohran super PAC in New York&rdquo;, The New York Post reported.</p>
<p>Public records reveal that the Unity and Justice Fund PAC donated $120,000 (approximately Rs 25 crore) to Lower Costs, a New York City-based pro-Mamdani PAC, out of around $3 million raised during this election cycle.</p>
<p>CAIR is under investigation by lawmakers including Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Tom Cotton (R-AR), who have urged the US Treasury to determine whether the non-profit has been bankrolled by Hamas. Evidence presented in a recent congressional hearing allegedly showed that the organisation was provided &ldquo;seed money&rdquo; by Hamas, the New York Post reported.</p>
<p>The allegations have cast doubts on Mamdani&rsquo;s campaign for accepting financial support from a group facing terrorism-linked scrutiny.</p>
<p>In a separate video that surfaced on Monday, Sarsour, known for her vocal support of Hamas-hinted that she might reveal more details about Mamdani&rsquo;s rapid political ascent and his financial backing from CAIR once the election concludes.</p>
<p>Sarsour, 45, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America alongside Mamdani, declared that her group would hold him accountable if he failed to deliver on his Marxist promises.</p>
<p>&ldquo;When Zohran gets inaugurated in January, and as we move forward with this mayor, we have to be the people outside,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Zohran is going to have to tell his own critics&hellip; &lsquo;Look out that window, those people outside, these constituents, these activists, these organisers that are outside, I&rsquo;m accountable to them, because they&rsquo;re the ones that helped me get there,&rsquo;&rdquo; The New York Post quoted her as saying.</p>
<p>Mamdani, who defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary in June, now faces Cuomo, running as an independent, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa in Tuesday&rsquo;s election.</p>