Brooklyn Councilwoman Urges Boycott of Mayor Adams' Ramadan Iftar Over Ceasefire Stance

Brooklyn Councilwoman Shahana Hanif is urging New Yorkers to boycott any events Mayor Eric Adams holds next month for Ramadan, pointing to his refusal to back a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas as civilian deaths in Gaza climb.

Hanif, who co-chairs the Council's Progressive Caucus and is the body's only female Muslim member, made the appeal at a rally outside City Hall on Wednesday. She also asked the city's mosques to bar her Council colleagues from Ramadan prayer services unless those members have publicly supported a ceasefire.

"Ramadan is coming up, we got to boycott the mayor's Iftar," Hanif said, referring to the sundown meal Muslims share each day during the monthlong fast. She added that mosques in local neighborhoods should not admit colleagues who have not called for a permanent ceasefire: "They are not allowed."

Adams has said he mourns civilian casualties but has stopped short of calling for a ceasefire. His spokeswoman, Kayla Mamelak, criticized Hanif's push, saying it was unfortunate that the council member was "disrespecting the tens of thousands of Muslim New Yorkers who celebrate Ramadan and is politicizing a religious event" rather than focusing on prayer, reflection and community.

Ramadan begins March 10 and ends April 9. The mayor customarily hosts an Iftar at Gracie Mansion, though no date has been announced for this year's gathering.

Speaking to the Daily News on Thursday, Hanif said she was speaking in a personal capacity at the rally and that her remarks should not be read as an official demand of the Progressive Caucus. She said it matters to pressure the mayor and other local officials to back a ceasefire because they have an "important voice," and noted that pro-ceasefire protests take place in the city nearly every day. She also criticized what she described as inconsistent messaging from top Democrats, who she said have rightly mourned Israeli hostages and their families but have not shown the same consistency toward Muslims. "You can't erase a whole constituency," she said.

Councilwoman Sandy Nurse, the caucus's other co-chair, also from Brooklyn, backed Hanif. In a text message, Nurse said that, watching what she called the daily slaughter of Muslims in Gaza, she would support actions that a coalition of Muslim faith leaders believes could bring it to an end.

Israel invaded Gaza after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, in which the group's fighters entered Israel and killed about 1,200 civilians and soldiers. Hamas also seized dozens of hostages, some of whom remain in captivity. Gaza health officials say Israeli forces have killed more than 30,000 Palestinians since the war began. On Thursday, those officials reported at least 104 Palestinians were killed when Israeli forces opened fire on people lining up for food from a convoy, calling it a "massacre." Israel's military confirmed its troops fired on the crowd, saying it had approached in a threatening manner.

Hanif's call came the same day Council Speaker Adrienne Adams confirmed the chamber is weighing a resolution formally calling for a ceasefire. "Those conversations are happening internally," the speaker told reporters Wednesday afternoon. Hanif said she is part of those talks and that no decision has been made on whether a resolution will be drafted. Legislative bodies in Chicago and several other U.S. cities have recently passed such resolutions, which are largely symbolic.