Zohran Mamdani, who took oath as New York City mayor on Thursday, and eight members of the US Congress have expressed support for Umar Khalid and several activists behind bars on charges of terrorism for their participation in protests against the new citizenship regime in 2020. ADVERTISEMENTThe push from elected representatives of the Democratic Party came after Khalid’s parents met some of them, including Mamdani, during a visit to the US last month. Ilyas said that he and his wife had met Mamdani on December 9, 2025, during a personal visit to the US. He also gave a letter for Umar.”In his letter, which was posted by Khalid’s friend Banojyotsna Lahiri on Thursday, Mamdani wrote: “Umar, I think of your words on bitterness often, and the importance of not letting it consume one’s self. They said: “The strength of the evidence used to charge Mr Khalid with terrorism namely, the statements of secret witnesses and a misconstrued speech, is dubious.

Source: The Telegraph January 02, 2026 02:17 UTC