New York Mayor’s Wife Plans Security-Backed Trip to Syria and Lebanon Amid Travel Warnings

Rama Dawaji, wife of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, is scheduled to travel to Syria and Lebanon on September 20 for a family visit despite severe travel warnings issued by the U.S. State Department for both countries due to dangerous security conditions. The New York Police Department will provide her with a security detail during the trip, a decision that has sparked criticism over the risks to officers and the financial burden on American taxpayers.

Dawaji, a 29-year-old American-Syrian artist who identifies as a "Syrian illustrator," has familial ties to the region through her Muslim Syrian parents from Damascus. Previously described by her husband as a "private person," Dawaji requested police protection for this trip after traveling abroad without security last month.

Her past includes numerous anti-Israel statements and activities, mirroring her husband's positions. Following the Hamas terror attack on October 7, 2023, Dawaji reportedly created public playlists featuring songs with offensive lyrics against Israel and liked social media posts celebrating the attack and denying the sexual violence committed by Hamas militants against Israeli victims. Weeks before Mamdani assumed office, additional inflammatory posts from Dawaji surfaced, including a 2015 claim that Tel Aviv "should never have existed" and labeling its residents as "occupiers." Although she issued a general apology in April for the harm caused by her past posts, she notably refrained from expressing remorse for the anti-Israel content itself.

Politically active, Dawaji is deeply involved with the Democratic Socialists of America, producing illustrations for campaigns promoting Democratic primary candidates who reject donations from AIPAC and support legislation targeting pro-Israel charity organizations in the U.S. Recently, she boycotted American Independence Day celebrations to attend closed workshops of pro-Palestinian women's groups in Corsica and Mallorca.

The planned trip and associated security arrangements have raised questions about the appropriateness of using public resources for personal travel to high-risk areas, especially given Dawaji’s controversial political and social stances.