Did isis congratulate mamdani

1. What people are actually claiming — a small coalition of competing narratives that confuse the record

The debate produced two competing claims: one that ISIS publicly congratulated Zohran Mamdani, and another that an ISIS media channel instead told Muslims not to celebrate his win. The congratulatory claim circulated as a screenshot from a WhatsApp news group that was reposted on X by figures including Gad Saad and outlets like ZeroHedge, while a different report — summarized by MEMRI — cites a Telegram post from an ISIS media outlet criticizing Muslims for celebrating Mamdani, saying he was loyal to nonbelievers and homosexuals ^[1]. The presence of both narratives circulating at once created a muddled public record; the available analytic work on the viral assets leans away from the congratulation narrative and toward a critical ISIS message, but that critical message does not equate to praise or congratulations ^[1].

2. Why the “congratulatory” screenshot looks like a fake — telltale signs flagged by analysts

Multiple anomalies undermine the credibility of the congratulatory screenshot: the image uses a Shia greeting unacceptable to Sunni ISIS adherents, references a far-right antisemitic meme inconsistent with ISIS messaging, and contains contextual errors such as odd phrasing and implausible detail counts noted by analysts. Those stylistic and content-level mismatches are classic indicators of a fabricated or doctored message designed to provoke outrage and spread rapidly on social platforms; independent reporters and researchers who examined the asset flagged these inconsistencies and questioned the screenshot’s provenance ^[1]. The combination of linguistic, ideological, and factual oddities makes the screenshot far less credible than a direct ISIS media release would be, and the absence of corroborating posts from verified ISIS channels further weakens the congratulation claim ^[1].

3. The alternative: a critical ISIS statement reported via MEMRI — different tenor, different implications

More credible reporting points to an ISIS-affiliated Telegram message that criticized Muslims for celebrating Mamdani, arguing his loyalties lay elsewhere; this was reported by MEMRI and noted in subsequent analyses. That source indicates ISIS’ stance was not congratulatory but condemnatory, which carries different political implications: praise would imply ideological alignment, while condemnation underscores ISIS’ opposition to both Mamdani’s positions and to celebratory responses from Muslims they consider insufficiently aligned with their extremist views ^[1]. Accepting the MEMRI-reported Telegram content as the more reliable ISIS-adjacent material changes the narrative from “terrorist endorsement” to “terrorist condemnation,” and that distinction is material to public interpretation and political response ^[1].

4. How the story spread — partisan amplification and the information ecosystem at work

The congratulation claim was amplified by social-media personalities and partisan outlets that have incentive structures favoring sensational, polarizing content; these amplifiers shared the WhatsApp screenshot without verifiable sourcing, which accelerated its reach even as analysts identified red flags ^[1]. Conversely, specialized monitoring organizations and regional reporting identified the critical Telegram message but did not find corroborating primary ISIS releases of any congratulatory statement, underscoring a pattern where viral artifacts outpace verification and partisan actors gain attention by circulating unvetted material ^[1]. Observers should note the likely agendas: actors seeking to delegitimize Mamdani or to inflame anti-Muslim sentiment have motive to push a false “ISIS endorsement” narrative, while propaganda-monitoring outfits often emphasize extremist denouncements to highlight security contexts ^[1].

5. Related materials and false leads — conflation with other “Mamdani” references

Some sources cited in public discussions referenced academic Mahmood Mamdani and other background pieces about Mamdani’s scholarship or political commentary; these items are unrelated to the contemporaneous claim about ISIS and Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral context and therefore introduce noise into verification efforts ^{[3] [4]}. Other contemporary articles discuss Mamdani’s political positions and controversies, such as his refusal to perform reflexive condemnations of certain phrases, but they contain no evidence of ISIS congratulation; mixing these separate threads created confusion in the public discourse and allowed unverified screenshots to feel more plausible by association ^{[5] [4] [6]}. Distinguishing between unrelated Mamdani references and direct ISIS-channel material is essential for accurate attribution.

6. Bottom line and what to watch next — treat the congratulation claim as unproven and likely false

Available, contemporary analysis supports this bottom line: the claim that ISIS congratulated Zohran Mamdani is unsubstantiated and likely a hoax, while more credible reporting describes an ISIS-affiliated post that criticized Muslims for celebrating him — the opposite of a congratulation ^{[1] [2]}. Given the prevalence of doctored screenshots and partisan amplification, demand primary-source verification from authenticated ISIS channels or credible monitoring organizations before accepting viral claims; continue monitoring MEMRI-type reports for relevant translations and watch verified extremist channels for corroborating material, but base public statements on verifiable primary evidence rather than viral images or partisan reposts ^[1].