HOUSTON, Texas — Texas Rep. Brandon Gill drew widespread criticism online after calling a social media post of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Ramadan celebration “stomach churning” and “truly repulsive.”
The post showed Mamdani sitting on the ground during an Iftar gathering at City Hall, a customary meal to break the daily fast during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Gill’s caption read, “Imagine telling someone on 9/12 that this is how NY City Hall will look in 2026.”
The reaction generated thousands of responses on social media, with critics labeling Gill’s comments as bigotry and xenophobia. Some highlighted the irony given that President Donald Trump has hosted Iftar events at the White House, and noted that Gill’s wife, Danielle D’Souza Gill, is of South Asian descent.
This is not the first time Gill has made controversial remarks about Muslims. In February, he warned about the “Islamization of the Dallas area,” claiming that local malls felt “like Pakistan, not Dallas, Texas.” During Mamdani’s mayoral campaign, Gill also criticized a video showing the mayor eating with his hands, calling it uncivilized.
Supporters of Mamdani and other commenters emphasized that hosting an Iftar at City Hall is a normal practice in a city with one of the largest Muslim populations in the U.S., and defended the mayor’s right to celebrate his faith.
Gill’s latest comments appear to reinforce his long-standing pattern of incendiary remarks targeting Muslim leaders, drawing both condemnation and discussion on religious tolerance in American politics.
