New York’s mayoral race exposes the deep roots of American Islamophobia

‘Mamdani succeeded in reaching voters on his own terms, and new information has succeeded in short-circuiting old ideas, at least for now.’ Photograph: Michael M Santiago/Getty Images

My only interaction with the FBI came soon after 11 September 2001. A man and woman visited my family’s home in Philadelphia – we had recently moved from Palestine – showed their credentials and asked to enter. My parents invited them in and a conversation about political views followed. They left soon afterwards but I knew we were suspect, and I understood why.

At the time, I was in high school. Two or three years later, one of my sisters, who wore the hijab then, was confronted by an elderly white man at a department store. “What’s the significance of the trash you’re wearing on your head?” he asked.