Who is Zohran Mamdani’s wife Rama Duwaji? All about the Syrian artist married to New York Mayor

Now that Zohran Mamdani is making big news for his historic primary victory in the New York City mayoral race, the public has developed a fascination with his wife, Rama Duwaji. While Mamdani has earned political success as a 33-year-old democratic socialist and state assembly member, Duwaji has spent much of that time off the public radar.

Rama Duwaji is a Syrian-born illustrator and animator living in New York City, Brooklyn. According to a report by SCMP, she graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in communication design and received a master’s in illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Her art website states that Duwaji’s work is characterized by deep emotion and often explores themes of sisterhood and shared community experience. Her talent has led her to collaborate with some of the most prominent figures in the media industry. Duwaji’s client roster includes The New Yorker, The Washington Post, BBC, Apple, Spotify, VICE, and the Tate Modern.

She has also designed pieces for luxury brands, including Cartier. Although mainly a digital illustrator, Duwaji is also a ceramics artist, producing several homemade illustrated pottery:

"If nobody got me, I know making art got me… can I get an amen?... I ❤️ animation fr," she captioned an Instagram post.

A look into Zohran Mamdani and Rama Duwaji's relationship

Rama Duwaji and Zohran Mamdani supposedly first connected on the dating app, Hinge, and later got married in a civil ceremony at the New York City Clerk’s office earlier this year:

"I found my wife on Hinge, so it still works, The love of your life might currently be too stressed to find you. Affordability is about romance," Mamdani said in an interview with Kaneez Surka.

The couple supposedly had a Nikkah, a traditional Islamic ceremony, and a small engagement celebration in Dubai, where Duwaji’s family lives.

Despite her husband’s successful political career, Rama Duwaji has opted to remain largely in the background. During Mamdani’s campaign, she never physically attended any public events or made public statements, preferring to quietly support him on social media (SCMP).

This discretion raised the alarm for some of his political enemies, and Mamdani took to the public in May to write about their relationship. In a series of wedding photos posted to Instagram, Mamdani leapt to his family's defense and celebrated her talent and independence:

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"I usually brush it off, whether it’s death threats or calls for me to be deported. But it’s different when it’s about those you love... Rama isn’t just my wife, she’s an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms. You can critique my views, but not my family," he wrote.

As Zohran Mamdani enters the mayor's office, people are excited and anticipating witnessing Rama Duwaji as New York City’s first lady.

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