The Media Line: ‘Null and Void’: Muslim Leaders Visit Israel After Mamdani Refusal 

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‘Null and Void’: Muslim Leaders Visit Israel After Mamdani Refusal 

Bronx imam Sheikh Musa Drammeh organized a Sharaka-backed mission of imams to Israel to counter rising antisemitism and model interfaith engagement following NYC mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani’s debate pledge not to go 

By Maayan Hoffman/The Media Line 

Over the summer, during the first Democratic primary debate in New York City, all nine candidates were asked where their first trip abroad would be if elected. Most said Israel. One candidate, Zohran Mamdani, said he would refuse to travel to the Jewish state. 

That answer set the city’s Sheikh Musa Drammeh ablaze. 

How could the only Muslim candidate on stage refuse to go to the Holy Land, Drammeh wondered, especially when New York is home to America’s largest Jewish community? 

Drammeh has dedicated much of his life to building bridges between Jews, Muslims and Christians in the Bronx, as well as fighting extremism and antisemitism. 

“This guy is the first Muslim candidate on stage with the privilege that never existed before,” Drammeh told The Media Line. “What he prioritizes becomes the priority [for his followers]. If we allow his refusal to go to the Holy Land, then antisemitism will increase, anti-Israel sentiment will increase, and it will be normalized.” 

Motivated by that conviction, Drammeh told his wife he would organize a group of Muslim leaders to travel to Israel on Mamdani’s behalf, creating, as he put it, a situation where the candidate’s refusal would be “null and void.” He then wrote an open letter inviting others to join him on the journey. 

The Jewish NGO Sharaka saw the letter and contacted Drammeh. Together, they organized a mission of eight imams and other Muslim leaders — seven from the United States, one from Germany and many from New York — who have been in Israel since Oct. 25. 

The delegation is visiting Jerusalem’s historic and holy sites, meeting experts and community leaders, sitting with Israeli Arabs, and connecting with interfaith rabbis. They have also toured the sites of the Oct. 7 atrocities to better understand the current war and geopolitical reality, and participated in a seminar at Yad Vashem, Israel’s national Holocaust museum. There, they discussed the Holocaust, extremism, modern genocides and ways to promote coexistence in their own communities. 

The program was conducted with the assistance of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. 

“Just as our name, Sharaka, means across regions, faiths and communities, we are privileged to have a powerful global network of courageous voices who stand up for truth and understanding,” said Sharaka Managing Director Noam Meirov. 

Sharaka’s Holocaust education program manager, Alyssa Annis, told The Media Line that rising antisemitism and racism have deepened social divides across the United States. The Muslim leaders participating in the Sharaka mission, she said, are active in their communities and committed to combating this trend. 

“I think these Muslim leaders need to come to Israel; they need to learn more about the Holocaust for them to combat extremism and antisemitism in their own societies,” Annis said. 

Annis noted that some participants were “a bit scared,” not only to acknowledge the bridge-building work they’re doing within their own communities, but also to admit they came to Israel. Still, she said, they arrived determined to learn, understand and bring those lessons home. 

“They walked into that Hall of Names at Yad Vashem at the end, and they started crying,” Annis recalled. 

She added that since Oct. 7, Sharaka, along with diplomats at various levels, has worked to maintain trust between Jews and Arabs from the Abraham Accords countries: the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Bahrain. That effort, she said, has been “very difficult.” But as the war winds down and hopefully the final deceased hostages return home, she hopes “people will be a little bit less scared to be a moderate voice publicly.” 

Another Muslim leader on the trip, Aicha Cisse, described New York as “so divided,” saying that in recent years, it has felt as if people with opposing viewpoints can no longer be friends. This polarization, she added, has grown even sharper ahead of the upcoming mayoral election, particularly around Mamdani’s candidacy. 

According to recent polls, Mamdani leads with 43%, followed by Andrew Cuomo at 33% and Curtis Sliwa at 14%. Early voting is underway ahead of the Nov. 4 election. While some progressive rabbis support Mamdani for his socialist-leaning policies, most Jewish religious leaders oppose his criticism of Israel and fear his victory could trigger an even greater spike in antisemitism. 

More than 1 million Jews live in New York City. 

“Everyone knows we’re here throughout the Muslim world,” Drammeh said. “We have journalists writing about us throughout New York … Should Mamdani become mayor, his antisemitic and anti-Israeli positions will no longer be as effective because New York has gone to Israel on his behalf even before he’s elected. So we will be able to expand this and bring more influential leaders, political leaders and religious leaders.” 

Cisse said she shares that goal and told The Media Line that she came to Israel because “there is so much misinformation” and wanted to see the country for herself. 

“I came here so that I can learn more about what is happening and what I can do as an individual who is part of this amazing community back in the Bronx,” she said. “The perception we have about Israelis and Jews in Israel is off. Everybody is so open and so loving and so welcoming.” 

Cisse said that media portrayals often suggest Jews, Muslims and Christians don’t coexist peacefully in Israel, but her experience on the ground told a different story. 

“There’s a Muslim shop right there. There’s a Jewish shop right there. You pass them, and they greet you so nicely. This one says shalom. This one says as-salamu alaykum,” Cisse described. “We went over to the Western Wall — same thing … and I think it is authentic.” 

Drammeh said that Muslim and Christian antisemitism are fundamentally different. Many Christians, he explained, believe that the Jews killed Jesus or that Christians replaced the Jews. Muslim antisemitism, however, is tied to Israel — to the idea that Jews “stole” or “occupy” Muslim land. Yet, Drammeh said, Muslims who hold such beliefs have “zero understanding of Israel or their own religion.” 

“Anti-Zionism from the Muslim world is based on 100% ignorance,” Drammeh said. “It’s not biblical. It’s not in the Quran.” 

While in Israel, Drammeh said he has been sharing his experiences in real time with more than 20,000 Muslims worldwide through social media. 

“The love of your nation is part of our faith,” he said. “The holy Quran tells us that the Holy Land belongs to the Jewish people. Therefore, loving that land is Zionism.” 

He added that “Israel has a bad rap” because of people who spread lies and misinformation. Around 20% of Israel’s population is non-Jewish, he noted, and Arabs even serve in the Israeli parliament. 

“Where else in the Middle East would you find that diversity in a legislative hall?” Drammeh asked. “You will not find it in Saudi Arabia or any of the other 22 Arab countries.” 

Drammeh emphasized that antisemitism is not a Jewish problem alone. 

“It’s also our problem. It’s our duty as Muslims, because we are now numbering close to 2 billion Muslims and there are only about 15 million Jews,” he said. “We’re going to become brothers and sisters, and we’re going to make sure that no Jew feels isolated or scared or abandoned or lonely or vulnerable. That is the message that this trip is intended to broadcast all over the world.” 

Cisse said she shares that goal but admitted it is sometimes difficult to convince people of things they have not seen for themselves. That is why she believes more missions like this one are essential to help Muslim leaders understand what Israel is truly like. 

“Everything in life is baby steps,” she said. 

Sharaka Chairman and Co-Founder Amit Deri said he believes his organization is uniquely positioned to promote tolerance and dialogue within Muslim communities worldwide. 

“In light of the alarming rise in antisemitism, we take pride in being the leading NGO bringing Muslim delegations to Israel,” Deri said. 

Sharaka’s Holocaust education program manager, Alyssa Annis, agreed. “It’s no longer a regional issue; it’s also a religious issue, and we believe that Judaism and Islam need to work together to build bridges,” she said. 

Annis added that bringing Muslim leaders from the United States will help spread that message beyond the Middle East. 

“The Muslim population in the United States is growing, and we understand from the news that it’s very extreme, and yet each individual here has their own community, and so by them spreading that message, hopefully we can make that difference,” she said.