Rama Duwaji’s artwork, published in February by Slow Factory alongside Diana Islaih’s essay on the Gaza displacement camp, has triggered a political backlash in New York City and raised questions about Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office.The illustration depicts a woman’s face, painted in black and white, with full eyebrows arched above a sharp nose, almond-shaped eyes and two outstretched hands. The essay was part of an anthology of essays edited by Palestinian-American writer Susan Abulhawa, CNN reported.Key City Hall staffers did not know whether Duwaji, the city’s new first lady, had been commissioned to create the artwork or about Abulhawa’s post, according to two people briefed on the matter, which was first reported by the conservative Washington Free Beacon earlier this month.Abulhawa has referred to Israeli forces as “Jewish supremacist monsters” and described Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack as “a spectacular moment that shocked the world”, which he described as a “criminally merciless siege of Gaza by Israel”.While Duwaji has not commented publicly, Mamdani spoke out against Abulhawa’s language and said that Duwaji’s independent work was protected through a third party, that Duwaji was not in direct communication with the author and that he was not aware of Abulhawa’s posts.Mamdani said on March 13, in reference to Abulhawa, “I think that rhetoric is obviously unacceptable. I think it’s reprehensible.”The people briefed on the episode, who declined to be named so as not to upset the mayor, argued that the reaction raised questions about whether his work should be scrutinized more closely.Scott Richman, New York regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said, “The mayor condemned the author’s language, which is to his credit.” “However, we have not heard from them. Do they have any problems with the author and his statements? We just don’t know.”Abulhawa denied that he was anti-Semitic and said he was disappointed by what Mamdani said.“You have capitulated to the forces that want to manipulate you, your talented, beautiful wife, and your work, and apply even more pressure with each apology or concession you make,” he said. “If you’re not careful, they’ll take away your soul before you even realize it.”The subsequent revelations came from pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel posts shared and liked by Duwaji. They went unnoticed during Mamdani’s mayoral campaign, but now there is new scrutiny for both of them, especially as Mamdani faces suspicion from many in the city’s Jewish community, the largest of any city outside Israel.Mamdani said at a press conference earlier this month that Duwaji, a Texas-born professional artist of Syrian descent, is a “private person who has held no formal position in my campaign or my City Hall.”His colleagues and allies argue that a double standard has been applied to the city’s first Muslim mayor and one of the most prominent Muslims in politics, arguing that much of the criticism against him is manufactured and motivated by Islamophobia. But both the mayor and first lady have long focused their public lives on pro-Palestine advocacy.