GOP senator says 'enemy is inside the gates' as Mamdani takes office
- - GOP senator says 'enemy is inside the gates' as Mamdani takes office
Zachary Schermele, USA TODAYJanuary 2, 2026 at 2:13 AM
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Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville from Alabama posted on social media: "The enemy is inside the gates" upon learning that Zohran Mamdani became the first mayor of New York City to be sworn in using a Quran.
The Quran is the primary religious text of Islam, akin to the Christian Bible. Mamdani is the first Muslim mayor of New York, the nation's largest city.
Tuberville, a conservative football coach-turned-politician, has a history of making anti-Muslim statements, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR.
1 / 8Zohran Mamdani sworn in as mayor of New York CityZohran Mamdani is sworn in as New York City's 112th mayor by New York Attorney General Letitia James, left, alongside his wife Rama Duwaji, right, in the former City Hall subway station on Jan. 1, 2026 in New York City. Mamdani's term as mayor begins immediately in the new year, and a public inauguration will also take place in the afternoon at City Hall.
On Dec. 14, the GOP lawmaker wrote on X, "Islam is not a religion. It's a cult. Islamists aren't here to assimilate. They're here to conquer." Several months prior, Tuberville gave a speech on the Senate floor with a “BAN SHARIA LAW” poster. Sharia is Islamic religious law.
More: Mamdani uses Qurans for mayoral oath, putting Muslim faith on display
"Part of the reason that Senator Tuberville continues to express such dangerous hatred against American Muslims and utter ignorance about Islam is his refusal to accept the Alabama Muslim community’s months-old invitation to visit a Birmingham mosque, learn about his American Muslim constituents, and ask any questions on his mind," CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Mitchell said in a public statement in October.
More: Amid attacks on his faith, Zohran Mamdani excites Muslim, South Asian voters
Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist, has criticized Islamophobic comments from his political adversaries.
Zachary Schermele is a congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at [email protected]. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tuberville says 'enemy is inside the gates' as Mamdani takes office
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