Former New York governor and independent mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo, 67, paid a visit to the Masjid Ansarudeen Islamic Center in the Wakefield section of The Bronx on Saturday, Sept. 20, to meet with members of the mosque and “discuss issues important to the community.” The former governor has received heat for allegedly not having visited a mosque during his tenure as governor though he disputes this.

 

According to Cuomo’s campaign, in what was described as “a spirited conversation” moderated by Sheik Ibrahim Niass, the former Democratic governor discussed how, if elected as mayor, his administration would help build much-needed affordable housing, support non-profit organizations in the community, and improve the education system for all.

 

“We thank former Governor Cuomo for visiting the Masjid Ansarudeen Islamic Center today and engaging in an important dialogue with our community,” Niass later said. “His message of unity is one we all share as we work to build a safer, more affordable, and more inclusive New York City.”

 

Niass added, “We appreciate his years-long work in standing up against Islamophobia, particularly Trump’s Muslim ban, and his support for a mosque in downtown Manhattan at a time when few showed the same courage and support. In particular, his willingness to support our efforts for an Arabic charter school is welcomed news. He is welcome here anytime, as we all work together towards a stronger, more united city for all.”

 

For his part, Cuomo thanked members of the mosque for the hospitality and for meeting with him. ‘I hear exactly what you’re saying, and I respect it,” he said. “I’ve been in government for a long time. My father was governor before me, from 1982 to 1994. I know I look younger than I actually am,’ he joked.

 

The former governor, once poised to run for the presidency before a sexual harassment scandal prompted his resignation in August 2021, continued, “I started working with my father when I was 18 years old. He served as governor for 12 years, and then I went to the federal government with President Bill Clinton, where I served in his cabinet as secretary of housing. In that role, I built housing all across the country. Later, I became attorney general, and then I served as governor of New York for 11 years.”

 

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton had endorsed Cuomo in the June mayoral Democratic primary, which Cuomo later lost to Assemblyman, and now Democratic mayoral nominee, Zohran Mamdani (A.D. 36).

 

Cuomo went on to say that he was running for mayor now because, in his opinion, the upcoming general election was “probably the most important election of my lifetime.” He continued, ‘I’m deeply worried about the city. I’ve never been more concerned about New York than I am right now. We face serious problems and two very different paths forward. You know these problems because you live with them: crime, affordability, and a public education system that is failing too many children, especially in poor Black and brown communities.”

He continued, “Since COVID, we’ve lost one million people who left New York because they simply couldn’t take it anymore. What we do at this moment is pivotal. My emphasis is on safety. We need to hire more police to work with the community and keep the streets safe. On education, when schools are failing, I believe we should close them and replace them with charter schools. I’m a strong believer in charter schools.”

 

He said he was aware that many oppose charter schools but justified his view saying that when a public school fails generation after generation, and are kept open anyway, it was unacceptable. “If a school has been failing for a prolonged period, shut it down and give a charter school or a specialized school the chance to succeed,” he said.

 

Others would argue that a better approach would be to fund public schools with better and more resources and to pay teachers adequately in order to both recruit the best and ensure they do not have to pay for their own school materials to teach their students.

 

Cuomo continued, “Then there’s affordability, which is crushing people. I would create a grocery supplement program for New Yorkers making up to $50,000, and I would make MTA buses and subways free for people in that income bracket. On housing, the only real solution is to build more. That’s the only way to bring rents down. Anyone who tells you otherwise is offering a gimmick.”

 

He said the City currently has a 1% vacancy rate in its housing stock. “Think about that,” he said. “Technically, anything below 5% is considered a housing emergency. At 1%, if you don’t rent the apartment, the person right behind you will.”

 

He added, “That’s my direction. My opponent’s direction is the exact opposite—a socialist philosophy that is anti-business, more anti-police, and would reduce the number of officers. It would legalize prostitution and the drug trade. Now, as a Christian, I’ll point out that the Bible speaks to this.”

 

He continued, “In Leviticus, it condemns prostitution; in the New Testament, St. Peter speaks against intoxicants. In the Quran, prostitution is referred to as zina, and intoxicants are called haram. There are similarities between the two faiths, and I want to impress you with my knowledge of both the Bible and the Quran (laughter).”

 

When it comes to discussions on prostitution and sex trafficking, there is full decriminalization and partial decriminalization (the Equality Model). Those working with victims/survivors who make up the majority of people working in the trade, say decriminalizing the sellers of sex (partial decriminalization), who are considered victims of their pimps, ensures they, instead, receive the services and support they need to exit the industry if they wish, and if they have the financial means and options to do so. Simultaneously, it shifts the legal focus of prosecution on the buyers of sex who perpetuate the victimization of the vulnerable.

Cuomo continued, “But more importantly, I think my opponent’s direction would be dangerous for our children, who already face enough obstacles. That’s why I’m running for mayor, because the decision we make now will have a profound and lasting impact.”

 

During a prior visit to Norwood’s North Bronx Islamic Center & Jam-E-Masjid on East 205th Street and Bainbridge Avenue on Friday, May 2, New York City Mayor Eric Adams had delivered a similar message of advocacy for New York’s Muslim community and his prior defense of the community against Islamophobic attacks in the wake of 9/11.

 

Later, Adams said when Muslim leaders came to him and said they wanted to have a call to prayer in the City, he helped facilitate it. “Never been done before. I said you have the right to have your call of prayer and duty of the call of prayer, and now you are able to do that,” the mayor said. “Our precincts are open spaces where you can go and pray inside our precincts.”

 

The mayor continued, “City government allows Muslims to come in and pray inside City Hall in the areas that are roped in downtown areas. Not only have we invited our Muslim brothers and sisters inside of Gracie Mansion, raised the flags from countries that represent the Muslim population, but I too, have traveled to visit many of your homelands from Africa to Oman, to Saudi Arabia, just to continue to show my appreciation and respect for this community.”

Following his mosque visit, Cuomo said, “Tonight I was honored to spend time with the congregants of Masjid Ansarudeen Islamic Center.

 

For his part, the sheik concluded, “He is welcome here anytime, as we all work together towards a stronger, more united city for all.” Cuomo said, “I am grateful for his words, and for the warm welcome from the community. Together, we can and will build a city where every family feels respected, protected, and at home. We are always stronger when we stand together.”