Zohran Mamdani — Nakba Day

Eventually even zebras reveal their true stripes. Zohran Mamdani becomes the first NYC Mayor to commemorate Nakba Day, yet refused to take part in the Israel Day Parade.

60 years of tradition have been broken by one decision. Every New York City mayor since 1964 has attended the Israel Day Parade. Every single one, until now.

At a time when Jewish communities need reassurance and visibility, their mayor has chosen absence. In politics, absence is never just absence. It is a statement. And this one is deafening.

Adding insult to injury, TYT and most political pundits mischaracterize the term “Nakba.” It means “catastrophe” and referred to the combined Arab countries’ armies that attacked the new State of Israel, declaring war, and lost. Nakba refers to that loss as a catastrophe, not anything ongoing for years.

As for the “expulsion from Israel of 700,000 Arabs,” most fled as advised by the Arab Armies, who assumed victory, telling those who fled they could return home after their victory—meaning wiping out the Jews from the river to the sea. The Arabs lost, and those people never returned, but were and are treated as refugees and second-class humans by the Arab countries they fled to. Yes, some were driven out as being known terrorists.

What they also fail to mention is that almost 200,000 Arabs remained in the new State of Israel, fought for independence alongside the Jews, and were accepted as citizens, not refugees. Their number has grown since to almost 2 1/2 million, similar to the Arab population of the Gaza Strip. They own homes, businesses, vote, run for public office, serve in the Israeli Army, and both their male and female children attend schools and universities without fear of being stoned to death. I am not saying their life is free from discrimination and hardships. Both are present in all free countries to various degrees. That does not make it right, and I support neither. We are human, at least most of us.

While we are here, let’s move on to Mike Johnson. Johnson stood on stage during a 250th anniversary prayer event and repeated the familiar Christian nationalist claim that America was founded on "Christian principles."

Was legalized slavery Christian?

Was the Three-Fifths Compromise Christian?

Was chattel slavery Christian?

Was Jim Crow Christian?

Was segregation Christian?

Were lynchings Christian?

Was Tulsa Christian?

Was Rosewood Christian?

Was Red Summer Christian?

Were literacy tests, poll taxes, and voter suppression Christian?

The truth is clear: America was not founded as a holy Christian nation. It was established by men who preached liberty while owning human beings. Christian nationalism aims to cleanse this history, erase Black suffering, and persuade white conservatives that their political dominance is divinely sanctioned.

This is not about faith. It is propaganda.

When politicians like Mike Johnson cloak American history in biblical terms, they are not protecting Christianity. They are defending a sanitized history, white political dominance, and a nationalist myth that prevents America from confronting its true past.

The Rededicate 250 event at the National Mall, endorsed by the White House and featuring conservative religious and political leaders including Speaker Mike Johnson, has been criticized for blurring the lines between church and state and promoting Christian nationalism.