Rama Duwaji, New York’s First Lady, wife of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, apparently had other priorities than celebrating America’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
She hopped a jet to a Spanish resort island for an Islamic “spiritual wellness” retreat, leaving behind her husband who earlier in the week celebrated milestone in a caustic speech by essentially saying the country is the home of white racists and freedom belongs only to the chosen few.
In a July 4th story. the New York Post reported that Duwaji, a Texas-raised, Dubai-educated Syrian-American artist was spotted at Newark International Airport on Monday as she took an eight-hour flight to Palma, located on the island of Mallorca in the western Mediterranean.
The 29-year-old Duwaji has a history of bashing the United States.
Since-deleted social media posts include praising Palestinian terror groups and attacking US service members for assisting Israel, the Washington Free Beacon reported in March.
“In 2015, she reposted a tirade on Tumblr, saying ‘American soldiers fighting in imperialist wars are not brave nor are they fighting for anyone’s freedom. They are mercilessly slaughtering 3rd world civilians and fighting to maintain American hegemony.’” the Post reported.
The retreat, called “The Women’s Sanctuary,” was a sold out event, and Duwaji is its “artist in residence,” according to the Post.
The New York tabloid reported:
The “Plants Of The Quran” retreat costs $3,400 in US dollars for guests to attend. It began Wednesday and runs through Monday, and revolves around sacred flora mentioned in Islamic texts through art, botanical workshops, and spiritual reflection, according to the group’s website.
Duwaji is then scheduled to help host another sold-out retreat for The Women’s Sanctuary in Corsica, France, running from July 9-14. Titled, “Mary In The Quran,” it “explore[s]” in “depth” the luminous legacy of Mary, the most honored woman in the Qur’an.”
Mamdani remained in the city on July 4th and was on hand to officially light up the Empire State Building in red, white, and blue for Independence Day.
However, news of the First Lady’s departure provided plenty of fuel for the Mamdani administration’s critics.
Arynne Wexler, a comedian and conservative commentator, posted photos of the First Lady sitting at a United Airlines gate.
“Funny how when @ZohranKMamdani was telling New Yorkers to lower their AC his wife Rama Duwaji was boarding a flight to party in Mallorca,” she wrote.
Wexler told the Post she obtained the photos from a friend who by coincidence also happened to be on the flight.
The tabloid could not determine how much Duwaji paid for the trip but did report the cheapest round-trip ticket to Palma from Newark later this month was $900.
Critical city council members also tore into the First Lady’s apparent disregard for the epic holiday.
“Nothing says ‘America 250’ quite like skipping the celebration for a Mediterranean vacation, but I am not surprised because she has made her hatred for America very evident,” Queens Councilwoman Joann Ariola told the Post.
Said Staten Island Councilman Frank Morano, “It’s disappointing that the First Lady chose to be overseas instead of taking part in one of the biggest civic events our city and country will mark this year.”
He continued, “No one is saying elected officials and their families can’t take vacations, but this was a moment to show up for the city and for the country, and she missed it.”
Mamdani has claimed in the past that his wife shouldn’t face scrutiny over her views because she holds no formal position in his administration.
In April, Duwaji apologized for her anti-American posts.
While Duwaji’s husband was in New York for the holiday, he, too, contributed his share of criticism of the United States as well as making what many New Yorkers thought was an unreasonable request about their air conditioning during an oppressive heat wave.
Mamdani, rather than propose ways for the city to improve its power grid, asked New Yorkers to set their air conditioners to 78 degrees. Meanwhile, parts of City Hall were cooled as low as 54 degrees.
As Breitbart News reported, earlier in the week the Democratic Socialist mayor sat behind President George Washington’s desk – which appeared to be turned backwards – and criticized immigration policy by country that fostered an “arena of supremacy where only a select few are allowed freedom.”
Surrounding by supposed migrants holding small American flags, he claimed immigrants who are racial minorities are offered little more than oppression in the United States.
“America, if you ask them, becomes less the more people it welcomes,” he said. “America, they will tell you, belongs only to those with the right accent or the right shade of skin. The rest of us, they insist, should be grateful for merely being allowed to visit. How small they are, how weak, how unoriginal.”
He did not explain why that if the U.S. is so bad, why people from other countries keeping coming.
Breitbart contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
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