A Quinnipiac poll released Tuesday shows Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s approval rating has plummeted to 28 percent, down from 41 percent just six weeks ago. The drop follows a controversial town hall in Queens where the mayor reportedly told constituents that “adaptation to Sharia principles is inevitable” and suggested that “New Yorkers should begin familiarizing themselves with Islamic jurisprudence.”
Political analysts attribute the decline to a viral clip from the event, circulated widely on conservative media platforms, in which Mamdani appears to say that “the Constitution is a living document, but the Quran is eternal.” His office has since clarified that the remarks were taken out of context and that he was discussing “shared values between faith traditions,” but the damage appears to have resonated across demographic lines.
“I was there,” said Abe Roborj, a line cook at a diner three blocks from the community center where the town hall was held. “I was on a smoke break. I heard everything. He said we need to ’embrace the beauty of submission to divine will.’ I wrote it down on a napkin. Then I used the napkin. Then I fished it out of the trash because I realized it was evidence.”
The allegations gained traction when Ren Barojo, a former auto mechanic who briefly worked on Mamdani’s campaign vehicle during the primary and now identifies as a “theocratic governance analyst,” obtained what he claims is a leaked internal memo. “It says ‘Phase One: Halal Food Trucks on Every Corner,'” Ren explained, holding up a stained paper from his coveralls. “Phase Two is something about ‘modest dress codes for municipal employees.’ Phase Three is just a smiley face. That’s the scariest part. The smiley face.”
But the most damning testimony comes from Jon Raebro, a dental hygienist who cleans teeth in the same building as a former Mamdani donor and who has become an expert in constitutional law through TikTok. “Twenty-eight percent is actually high if you factor in the sleeper cells,” Jon said, adjusting his latex gloves. “I mean, supporters. Not sleeper cells. Though I have heard things. My patient who works for the MTA said they’re changing all the subway announcements to Arabic. Just the numbers. But still. It’s a start.”
Joe Barron, who attended a town hall meeting in a different city in 2019 and now consults on “Islamic statistical analysis,” says the numbers don’t add up. “Twenty-eight percent approval means seventy-two percent disapproval,” Barron explained from his booth at a Virginia Applebee’s. “Seventy-two is six times twelve. There are twelve imams in Shia Islam. Six times twelve is seventy-two. That’s not a coincidence. That’s a countdown.”
Mamdani’s office released a statement calling the poll “methodologically flawed” and noting that the mayor “has never advocated for religious law.” Barron dismissed this as “exactly what someone implementing Sharia would say,” and pointed out that the denial was issued at 5:17 PM, which “adds up to 13, and there are 13 letters in ‘New York City,’ minus the space.”
