'Habibi City' and 'Mamdani-stan': New York Magazine Celebrates NYC's Transformation into a Center of Palestinian Culture
New York Magazine dedicated a major feature to Arab culture that, according to the publication, has taken over New York after October 7, proclaiming the city 'Habibi City' and 'Mamdani-stan.' At the center of the phenomenon is the SWANA generation and Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the first Muslim in the post. The article describes the growth of the Arab population, cultural phenomena like Cafe Barzakh, and claims that the Muslim community may now outnumber the Jewish one.
New York Magazine published a major feature proclaiming New York 'Habibi City' and 'Mamdani-stan'—a center of Palestinian and Arab culture. The article, reported by Ynet on August 13, focuses on the SWANA generation (Southwest Asia and North Africa), whose cultural energy, according to the publication, has captured the city after October 7 and the Gaza war. The central figure is New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the first Muslim in the post, whose election is presented as a symbol of the community's 'golden age.' The author, Zaina Arafat, describes how Arab hipsters embraced the nickname 'Mamdani-stan' and turned it into a subculture slogan: from pop culture and food to stand-up shows and night parties. The piece notes a demographic shift: the number of state residents with Arab roots has tripled since 1980, exceeding 300,000, and the Muslim population may now outnumber the Jewish one. A separate storyline is Cafe Barzakh in Crown Heights, whose owner, Mauritanian refugee Al-Attik Abba, faced pressure after organizing a joint performance by a Palestinian singer and an Israeli musician, and was forced to clarify that the event was 'anti-Zionist.' The article notes that among young American Arabs, a common belief is that being in the same room as an Israeli is unacceptable.