As New York’s newly elected mayor prepares to take office, London’s veteran leader offers a glimpse of what lies ahead—and the challenges that come with being a Muslim politician in a Western capital.
NEW YORK — When Sadiq Khan picked up the phone to congratulate Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday evening, it wasn’t just a courtesy call between two politicians. It was a passing of the torch between two leaders who share far more than their faith and political leanings—they share a target on their backs.
Mamdani, New York’s mayor-elect, and Khan, who has governed London since 2016, represent a striking political parallel: left-leaning Muslim leaders presiding over two of the world’s most diverse and consequential cities. Both face relentless attacks from Donald Trump. Both contend with Islamophobic rhetoric that has become a fixture of their political careers.
In their congratulatory conversation, Khan spoke of “hope over fear”—a message born of experience. His eight years in City Hall offer Mamdani both a roadmap and a warning of what governing under a microscope looks like.
A Tale of Two Cities—and Two Leaders
The similarities between New York and London are uncanny. Both are metropolises of more than 8 million residents grappling with soaring housing costs and public safety concerns. Both mayors face opponents who weaponize their religious identity without hesitation.
Trump has called Khan a “stone cold loser” and falsely accused him of attempting to impose Sharia law on London. Mamdani’s critics have gone even further, branding the democratic socialist assemblyman a “jihadist” during a campaign marked by inflammatory attacks.
Yet for all their shared challenges, the two men represent different strains of progressive politics. Mamdani is the insurgent—a 34-year-old democratic socialist who galvanized young voters through a digital-first campaign and promises of transformative change. Khan, 54, is the establishment figure: a former human rights lawyer who spent a decade in Parliament before ascending to the mayoralty.
Their personal histories diverge as well. Khan grew up in public housing in South London, one of eight children born to a Pakistani bus driver and seamstress. Mamdani hails from a family of intellectuals—his father is a renowned anthropologist, his mother an award-winning filmmaker. Same faith, different worlds.
The Promise and the Peril
Mamdani enters office with an ambitious agenda: free childcare, fare-free buses, affordable housing initiatives, and city-run grocery stores. It’s a bold vision that energized his base but will face the harsh realities of municipal governance and budget constraints.
Khan’s tenure offers a cautionary tale. He delivered notable victories—free school meals for primary students, a four-year freeze on transit fares—but fell short of his affordable housing targets, a failure that continues to haunt his administration.
Dr. Tony Travers, a professor of government at the London School of Economics, offered pointed advice for the incoming mayor: choose your fights carefully. Khan’s introduction of the Ultra Low Emission Zone, designed to combat London’s notorious air pollution, triggered fierce opposition and protests. But Khan held firm, and voters rewarded him with re-election in 2021.
“He took on something hugely controversial and won,” Travers said. “That’s the kind of political capital you need to spend wisely.”
Success Breeds Resentment
Both cities exist in a peculiar paradox: simultaneously celebrated and vilified, magnets for talent and targets for resentment. London is regularly portrayed as a lawless dystopia in tabloid headlines, even as it remains one of Europe’s wealthiest cities—a prosperity that breeds envy across the rest of Britain.
New York occupies similar terrain in the American imagination. Despite its economic dominance and cultural influence, the city is repeatedly cast as a failing urban nightmare by politicians eager to score points with suburban and rural voters.
For Mamdani, the challenge will be governing effectively while under constant attack—not just from political opponents, but from those who see his very presence in office as a provocation.
Khan knows that reality intimately. After eight years, he’s still fighting the same battles, still defending his record against the same smears. His message to his New York counterpart was clear: brace yourself.
The phone call between the two mayors was brief, but its subtext was unmistakable. Welcome to the club, Mamdani. The work is hard. The attacks won’t stop. But the job matters.
Now comes the hard part: delivering on the promise.
Mamdani is scheduled to take office in January 2025. Khan is expected to seek a fourth term in London’s 2028 mayoral election.
