Qatar, a regime that openly supports Hamas, has funneled money into film and stage productions by Mira Nair, the mother of socialist politician Zohran Mamdani, whose work has often attacked Israel. Now, according to the New York Post, a member of Qatar’s royal family is promoting Mamdani’s bid for mayor.
Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani, the sister of the ruling emir, has directed state-backed cultural institutions that have supported Nair’s artistic projects since at least 2009. She even extended Nair a personal invitation to take part in cultural events organized for Qatar’s 2022 World Cup celebrations.
Since June, the sheikha has actively pushed Mamdani’s campaign online, sharing polling numbers favorable to him on Instagram and dropping fire emojis under a TikTok clip showing him hugging his mother.
“They are buying somebody who is willing to be bought and at the time of their choosing they will ask for what they want,” warned Danielle Pletka, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, speaking of Nair’s ties to Qatar. “They need a rainbow coalition of people who will support the ideology they promote: sometimes it will be Islamism, sometimes it will be antisemitism, sometimes it will be anti-Israel.”
The NY Post uncovered multiple links between Nair and the Qatari royal family.
Qatar’s legal system, rooted in sharia, prohibits women from marrying or holding government positions without male approval. These realities clash with the progressive image that both Nair and her son have sought to project.
Human rights groups estimate that thousands of migrant laborers died in scorching 125-degree heat while building Qatar’s World Cup infrastructure, under what has been described as “modern day slavery.”
Yet Nair, in an interview with Qatar Happening during the World Cup and the run of her Monsoon Wedding musical, spoke glowingly about the regime. “Her Highness Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani has loved the movie but also supported the inception of this musical over several years,” Nair said.
Nair has refused to attend the Haifa International Film Festival, citing Israeli policies that she claimed “privilege one religion over another.” Meanwhile, Qatar forbids public worship by non-Muslims, and the U.S. State Department has warned that the regime is “pursuing a number of actions which will ultimately lead to the eradication” of its Bah’aii community.
Despite these abuses, Nair was photographed as recently as November 2024 at a major opening at the Qatar National Museum. She has never publicly condemned the regime’s well-documented record of human rights violations.
Analysts have labeled Qatar “America’s ultimate ‘frenemy,’” pointing out that while it funds Islamist movements hostile to the U.S., it also hosts a major American airbase. Jonathan Schanzer of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies described the country as “both arsonist and firefighter”: aiding groups like Hamas and the Taliban while offering itself as a broker between them and the West.
Schanzer expressed alarm that there could be “one degree of separation” between the Qatari royals and the potential mayor of New York City, especially given the country’s track record of using its wealth to buy influence, such as the scandals involving ex-Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey and members of the European Parliament.
“The Qataris are hyperactive in terms of international diplomacy, international investment, and everything that they do is designed to spread their funds and spread their influence,” Schanzer warned.
No evidence has surfaced of a direct financial connection between Mamdani and the Qatari state. The assemblyman has said he has never traveled to the country nor received funding from its institutions.
However, his campaign refused to clarify whether he had accepted help from his mother, or if he has had any contact with the sheikha. His team would not issue a direct condemnation of the Al-Thani regime, offering only a statement about “his belief in universal human rights and the freedom to advocate for justice everywhere.”
“The attempt to weaponize his mother’s career against him is an insult to voters who care about actual issues, not manufactured distractions,” campaign spokeswoman Dora Pekec said.
{Matzav.com}
