Overview
- An old Hindustan Times interview resurfaced in which filmmaker Mira Nair described her son Zohran Mamdani as “not an American at all,” calling him “a total desi” and saying the family were “not firangs.”
- Fox News and the New York Post highlighted the interview on Oct. 29 and linked it to Mamdani’s college role co‑founding Bowdoin’s Students for Justice in Palestine, with reporters saying they reached out to Nair and the campaign.
- Mamdani was born in Uganda, moved to the United States at age 7, holds dual U.S.–Ugandan citizenship, and became a naturalized American in 2018.
- GOP commentator Mehek Cooke told Fox News Digital that the word “firang” is a slur used to mock outsiders, casting the remarks as a rejection of America.
- Coverage also reports that a House Republican has demanded Mamdani be stripped of citizenship and deported over his “anti‑Israel” stance, with no confirmed legal action noted.