NYC Mayor's Wife Linked to Extremist Group Calling for Israel's Destruction

Rima Doge, the wife of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, is currently serving as an artist-in-residence at a high-profile event in Portugal organized by an extremist Islamic group that calls for the destruction of Israel and praises terrorism, according to the Washington Free Beacon. This revelation comes as Mamdani launches his program to combat antisemitism, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from the city's Jewish community.

The event, organized by the group "Women Sanctuary," is taking place in an 18th-century castle near Porto. Participation costs range from $4,300 for a shared room to $5,216 for a private room for five nights, excluding flights. Doge, who is leading Arabic calligraphy workshops there, is listed on the group's website as a team member under the pseudonym "Karl Holland."

The organization, founded in September 2023 by Reem Nour, consistently promotes extremist messages. In October 2025, the group called for the abolition of "Israel's colonial apartheid state." Previously, the organization published the slogan "From the River to the Sea" and a prayer for the "cleansing of Palestine" from Jewish oppressors.

The group's activities also include reading clubs dedicated to Ghassan Kanafani, a Palestinian writer and playwright and a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, responsible for the Lod airport massacre, among other acts. Additionally, the group praised Ahed Tamimi weeks after she posted an online threat to drink the blood of settlers, eat their skulls, and claimed Hitler's actions were a "joke."

Doge's participation in the event is not the first time she has been linked to terrorist elements. In the past, the mayor's wife publicly expressed admiration for female terrorists from the Popular Front, including hijacker Laila Khaled and bomber Shadia Abu Ghazaleh. Since reports of Doge's involvement in the current event were published, most of the group's online accounts have been deactivated.