A newly nominated Democratic socialist candidate in New York is facing backlash after a resurfaced podcast clip showed her discussing the September 11 attacks in comments critics say appeared to downplay the tragedy or shift blame toward broader U.S. political systems.
Aber Kawas, a Palestinian-American community activist and Democratic nominee for New York State Senate District 12 in western Queens, won her primary after receiving support from progressive and socialist-aligned political groups. Her victory is part of a broader wave of left-wing wins in New York that has intensified debate inside the Democratic Party over socialism, Israel, Gaza, public safety and the future direction of urban politics.
The controversy centers on a 2017 podcast appearance in which Kawas discussed Islamophobia after 9/11. In the clip, Kawas argued that capitalism, racism, white supremacy and Islamophobia had been used historically to colonize land and take resources from other people. She then described 9/11 as part of what she called the “manifestations” of that broader trajectory.
Critics seized on the remarks, saying they sounded like an attempt to blame America for the terror attacks or suggest the country deserved them. The September 11 attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and remain one of the most painful events in New York’s history. Because Kawas is now likely to represent a district in the city most directly affected by the attacks, the resurfaced comments quickly became a political flashpoint.
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Kawas has rejected the criticism, saying her remarks were taken out of context. She said she was speaking about the wrongful scapegoating of Muslim Americans after 9/11 and the expectation that Muslims should apologize for violence they had nothing to do with. She described the backlash as a politically motivated and Islamophobic smear.
That response has not ended the controversy. Opponents argue that elected officials should speak about 9/11 with moral clarity and avoid language that appears to explain or excuse the attacks through broader critiques of American society. Supporters counter that Kawas was discussing anti-Muslim discrimination, not defending terrorism, and that critics are weaponizing a years-old clip to attack a Muslim and Palestinian-American candidate.
The dispute comes at a sensitive moment for New York Democrats. Progressive candidates backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and socialist organizations scored several primary victories, raising questions about whether the party’s left wing is gaining long-term power in the city. For moderates and Republicans, Kawas’s remarks may become another example used to argue that the Democratic Party is moving too far left.
Kawas’s campaign has emphasized affordable housing, public transportation, healthcare access, labor rights and Palestinian advocacy. She has also made her family’s immigration story part of her political identity, saying her father’s deportation shaped her view of the immigration system. Conservative critics have challenged parts of that story, pointing to reports that her father had prior legal issues before being deported.
The controversy also touches the broader debate over Gaza and Israel in Democratic politics. Kawas has made Gaza a central theme, and her supporters see her win as part of a growing movement that ties local economic issues to international human-rights causes. Critics argue that some candidates on the left use language about Israel, U.S. foreign policy and terrorism that alienates many Jewish voters, 9/11 families and moderate Democrats.
For New York Democrats, the challenge is now political as well as moral. District 12 is considered deeply blue, which means Kawas is likely to be favored in the general election. But controversies like this can still shape the party’s image beyond one district. Republicans are expected to use the clip to argue that Democrats are tolerating radical views, while progressive activists will likely present the backlash as an attempt to silence Muslim and Palestinian voices.
The central question is whether voters see Kawas’s remarks as a legitimate critique of Islamophobia after 9/11 or as an unacceptable framing of a terrorist attack that devastated New York City. Her victory shows that many primary voters were willing to support her despite past controversy or were focused more on local issues and progressive priorities.
The general election may not be highly competitive, but the political debate around Kawas is likely to continue. Her critics will focus on the resurfaced clip, her socialist politics and her positions on Gaza. Her supporters will argue that the attacks are part of a broader campaign against progressive candidates of color who challenge establishment politics.
Why It Matters
The controversy matters because it combines several of the most sensitive issues in New York politics: 9/11, Islamophobia, socialism, Gaza, Israel and the future of the Democratic Party. Kawas’s likely path to Albany means the debate is not only about an old podcast clip, but about the type of candidates gaining power inside deep-blue districts.
It also matters nationally because Republicans and moderate Democrats are already watching New York’s left-wing victories as a possible preview of larger party fights. If socialist-backed candidates keep winning primaries, their past remarks and ideological positions will become part of the national political conversation.
What Comes Next
Kawas will likely continue defending her remarks as comments about Muslim scapegoating after 9/11, while critics will keep arguing that the clip shows poor judgment about a national tragedy. The issue could follow her into the general election and into Albany if she wins.
Democrats may also face more pressure to define how much space the party will give to socialist candidates whose views on foreign policy, Israel and American history differ sharply from the political mainstream.
A resurfaced video shared online shows Aber Kawas discussing 9/11, Islamophobia and U.S. political systems during a 2017 panel conversation.
Mamdani-endorsed Aber Kwas won the Democrat Primary tonight for a State Senate seat in New York.
Here she is saying that 9-11 was America’s fault because of our “system of capitalism, racism, white supremacy and islamophobia.” pic.twitter.com/ouSUB44nz3
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) June 24, 2026
