I find it really interesting that Jew-haters think they can define what is Judaism and who are the Jewish People. Not once did the interviewer push back against Mamdani. Just accepted his version of who and what are the Jewish People.
Oh he understands all right. ABC News like the rest of the MSM is just made up of Jew-hating garbage human beings and they for some reason love the DSA.
Smart people can be ignorant. And the young college educated people who voted for him want to be able to buy houses and have economic stability as their parents did. When someone promises them this they don’t question whether he can deliver. Or what political and social costs we will all pay for ditching capitalism and embracing socialism.
I’m sure you will find that the belief that Judaism is “merely” a religion, is quite widespread, especially on the progressive side. In fact, arguably this is the default position among the mainstream within the West generally.
• Israel — Judaism (~74% Jewish, with varying levels of observance). Founded explicitly as the Jewish nation-state, with Jewish law influencing personal status matters.
• India — Hinduism (~79–80%). Hinduism is the majority faith and increasingly central to cultural nationalism (Hindutva), though India remains constitutionally secular with large Muslim, Christian, and Sikh minorities.
• Thailand — Theravada Buddhism (~93–95%). Buddhism is deeply embedded in Thai national identity, culture, and monarchy.
• Sri Lanka — Buddhism (~70%). Strong link between Sinhalese Buddhist identity and the state.
• Bhutan — Vajrayana Buddhism (state-supported). Gross National Happiness philosophy rooted in Buddhist values.
Mamdani has no issue with the Islamic Nation of Turkey or the Islamic Nation of Pakistan. Is there freedom of religion in these countries? I don’t know but neither does he and he doesn’t care.
The point is to demonize Israel and Israelis. That is the DSA mantra. He appears to have no intellectual curiosity and prefers being an ideologue.
He’ll arrest Netanyahu (have you noticed he stopped saying that? Maybe the NYPD Commissioner said you have no standing to do so. It won’t happen. Poseur.
No interest in declaring Armenian Genocide a historical fact. No political mileage in that.
I didn’t watch the interview. Judging from the comments it seems to have been a PR puff piece. Either the interviewer was ignorant (not hard to believe) or was instructed to do a puff piece.
Great article, as always. Minor quibble; the United Kingdom does not have a single official or state religion for the country as a whole.
The UK is a union of four nations (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) with distinct historical and constitutional arrangements regarding religion. While two nations maintain formal ties between church and state, these do not extend uniformly across the UK, and the overall framework emphasizes freedom of religion in a largely secular modern state.
This is great. Enjoyed reading this. I suppose the real question would be, under what basis is nationhood legitimate? What ultimately qualifies for self-determination?
It’s one thing to say that a state should not place one religion above the other, especially when it comes to matters of discrimination and equal treatment under the law.
But this ultimately begs the question: what is the basis of nation statehood? Are we simply just a bunch of random people who happen to have a bunch of random borders and that’s it?
If Afghanistan is not the nation state of the Afghan people, then what is it?
A group that is willing to build something together and defend it,both diplomatically and militarily . This is why the question "does Israel have a right to exist" is ridiculous. It exists as long as enough people are willing to invest in its future and defend it.
This is a very practical definition for sure. I would agree.
But the question for Mamdani is what is the basis for nation-statehood and what does it ultimately mean to be a nation-state? The heart of the problem is Mamdani seems to want to paint Israel as a uniquely evil country because it defines itself as a Jewish state (particularly in a religious dimension). Of course denying Jewish nationhood is the root of his antisemitism no doubt. The point I'm trying to make is that by nature, nation states position some baseline form of identity over others. For Indians, that would mean people who are ethnically Indian, religiously/culturally Hindu, speak Hindi, etc. For Arabs? Arabic food, language, Islam (even if not officially), would most likely be the cultural and national blueprint for such a state.
So why not the Jews? This is the question Mamdani must answer.
I have another take. I certainly see Judaism as a religion practiced differently among its iterations, but with certain core beliefs and cultural manifestations. I also see Jews as a people and not necessarily a nation in a political sense. Having said that I’m glad Israel exists and on its best days am proud of its accomplishments. I see Israel as a historical necessity for the Jewish people. Jews lived for centuries as dispersed people without a nation. It was after programs, pervasive anti-semitism, inquisitions that the need for a Jewish nation in a modern political sense came into focus.
Even in terms of Judaism as a religion, the argument that we are not connected to the land of Israel falls apart. Any honest reading of our history, liturgy, and the archaeological record shows the connection between Jews and Israel. Why have we prayed facing Jerusalem for thousands of years, for example? And the erasive antisemitism that Mahmdani is practicing is nothing new. I grew up experiencing it here in Colorado. The idea that the US was completely welcoming of Jews is a misnomer. Sure, the puritans and founding fathers supported us, but that didn’t mean we were fully accepted everywhere unconditionally.
The Nazi Ideologie treated everybody with jewish ancestors as jews. It didn`t matter at all if someone had converted to a diffent faith. The goal was extinction of a people. Now the goal has shifted. Now the jewish people have to just have a specific Religion and cannot be a People. Thats necessary because than Israel is just a place were people with jewish faith choose to live and and is not the area where the jewish People belong. What ever serves them better. 🤷♀️
I find it really interesting that Jew-haters think they can define what is Judaism and who are the Jewish People. Not once did the interviewer push back against Mamdani. Just accepted his version of who and what are the Jewish People.
Agree--no ability to counter. Maybe a result of the interviewer's own lack of understanding.
Oh he understands all right. ABC News like the rest of the MSM is just made up of Jew-hating garbage human beings and they for some reason love the DSA.
I still can’t wrap my head around how many smart people and Jewish people support this man
Smart people can be ignorant. And the young college educated people who voted for him want to be able to buy houses and have economic stability as their parents did. When someone promises them this they don’t question whether he can deliver. Or what political and social costs we will all pay for ditching capitalism and embracing socialism.
Our nation, the Jewish nation, is blessed to have you.
I’m sure you will find that the belief that Judaism is “merely” a religion, is quite widespread, especially on the progressive side. In fact, arguably this is the default position among the mainstream within the West generally.
I did not grok so I asked Grok 🤔
Poland - Roman Catholicism ~87-92%
Greece - Greek Orthodox ~90-95%
Denmark - Evangelical Lutheran ~75%
Russia - Russian Orthodox ~70-80%
Italy - Roman
Saudi Arabia: Islam (Sunni/Wahhabi) - ~95-100%
Iran: Islam (Shia) - ~99%
Pakistan: Islam (Sunni) - ~96-97%
Egypt: Islam (Sunni) - ~90-95%
Indonesia: Islam (Sunni) - ~87%
Other Religions
• Israel — Judaism (~74% Jewish, with varying levels of observance). Founded explicitly as the Jewish nation-state, with Jewish law influencing personal status matters.
• India — Hinduism (~79–80%). Hinduism is the majority faith and increasingly central to cultural nationalism (Hindutva), though India remains constitutionally secular with large Muslim, Christian, and Sikh minorities.
• Thailand — Theravada Buddhism (~93–95%). Buddhism is deeply embedded in Thai national identity, culture, and monarchy.
• Sri Lanka — Buddhism (~70%). Strong link between Sinhalese Buddhist identity and the state.
• Bhutan — Vajrayana Buddhism (state-supported). Gross National Happiness philosophy rooted in Buddhist values.
Mamdani is a Jew hater masquerading as a human rights advocate.
Mamdani has no issue with the Islamic Nation of Turkey or the Islamic Nation of Pakistan. Is there freedom of religion in these countries? I don’t know but neither does he and he doesn’t care.
The point is to demonize Israel and Israelis. That is the DSA mantra. He appears to have no intellectual curiosity and prefers being an ideologue.
He’ll arrest Netanyahu (have you noticed he stopped saying that? Maybe the NYPD Commissioner said you have no standing to do so. It won’t happen. Poseur.
No interest in declaring Armenian Genocide a historical fact. No political mileage in that.
I didn’t watch the interview. Judging from the comments it seems to have been a PR puff piece. Either the interviewer was ignorant (not hard to believe) or was instructed to do a puff piece.
Great article, as always. Minor quibble; the United Kingdom does not have a single official or state religion for the country as a whole.
The UK is a union of four nations (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) with distinct historical and constitutional arrangements regarding religion. While two nations maintain formal ties between church and state, these do not extend uniformly across the UK, and the overall framework emphasizes freedom of religion in a largely secular modern state.
This is great. Enjoyed reading this. I suppose the real question would be, under what basis is nationhood legitimate? What ultimately qualifies for self-determination?
It’s one thing to say that a state should not place one religion above the other, especially when it comes to matters of discrimination and equal treatment under the law.
But this ultimately begs the question: what is the basis of nation statehood? Are we simply just a bunch of random people who happen to have a bunch of random borders and that’s it?
If Afghanistan is not the nation state of the Afghan people, then what is it?
A group that is willing to build something together and defend it,both diplomatically and militarily . This is why the question "does Israel have a right to exist" is ridiculous. It exists as long as enough people are willing to invest in its future and defend it.
This is a very practical definition for sure. I would agree.
But the question for Mamdani is what is the basis for nation-statehood and what does it ultimately mean to be a nation-state? The heart of the problem is Mamdani seems to want to paint Israel as a uniquely evil country because it defines itself as a Jewish state (particularly in a religious dimension). Of course denying Jewish nationhood is the root of his antisemitism no doubt. The point I'm trying to make is that by nature, nation states position some baseline form of identity over others. For Indians, that would mean people who are ethnically Indian, religiously/culturally Hindu, speak Hindi, etc. For Arabs? Arabic food, language, Islam (even if not officially), would most likely be the cultural and national blueprint for such a state.
So why not the Jews? This is the question Mamdani must answer.
Yes, it's the opposite of "Palestine" existing because Western countries declare it so.
I have another take. I certainly see Judaism as a religion practiced differently among its iterations, but with certain core beliefs and cultural manifestations. I also see Jews as a people and not necessarily a nation in a political sense. Having said that I’m glad Israel exists and on its best days am proud of its accomplishments. I see Israel as a historical necessity for the Jewish people. Jews lived for centuries as dispersed people without a nation. It was after programs, pervasive anti-semitism, inquisitions that the need for a Jewish nation in a modern political sense came into focus.
Newsflash. Judaisim IS a religion. Israel as currently constituted is a theocracy no more or less deluded than Iran.
Even in terms of Judaism as a religion, the argument that we are not connected to the land of Israel falls apart. Any honest reading of our history, liturgy, and the archaeological record shows the connection between Jews and Israel. Why have we prayed facing Jerusalem for thousands of years, for example? And the erasive antisemitism that Mahmdani is practicing is nothing new. I grew up experiencing it here in Colorado. The idea that the US was completely welcoming of Jews is a misnomer. Sure, the puritans and founding fathers supported us, but that didn’t mean we were fully accepted everywhere unconditionally.
No one cares what he thinks we must see that he is a anti West dictator
https://behindthenarrative7.substack.com/p/first-we-take-tehran-then-we-take?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=bpnge
The Nazi Ideologie treated everybody with jewish ancestors as jews. It didn`t matter at all if someone had converted to a diffent faith. The goal was extinction of a people. Now the goal has shifted. Now the jewish people have to just have a specific Religion and cannot be a People. Thats necessary because than Israel is just a place were people with jewish faith choose to live and and is not the area where the jewish People belong. What ever serves them better. 🤷♀️