As New York ushers in its first Muslim mayor, all eyes are now on Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old Democratic state assemblyman from Queens whose progressive campaign has upended one of the city’s most closely watched races. But behind the newly elected mayor stands a woman whose own story spans continents and creative disciplines: Rama Duwaji, the Dubai-raised Syrian-American artist and illustrator who has quietly carved out her own legacy beyond politics.
Born in Houston, Texas, to Syrian Muslim parents from Damascus, Duwaji moved to Dubai when she was nine and spent the remainder of her childhood living across the Gulf. The cultural duality of those formative years deeply shaped her art. Today, her work explores themes of identity, belonging and resistance, often through soft yet politically charged imagery.
Duwaji studied communication arts at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts, beginning her studies at its Qatar campus before transferring to Richmond, Virginia, where she graduated with honours in 2019. She later earned a master’s degree in illustration as visual essay from the School of Visual Arts in New York.
Now based in Brooklyn, she has built a reputation as a multidisciplinary artist whose portfolio spans illustration, ceramics and editorial design.
One of her most widely shared illustrations, showing three people standing together beneath the Arabic phrase “we won’t leave”, was created in solidarity with Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah. Another focused on the hunger crisis in Gaza and urged followers to “keep your eyes on Gaza”.
Although Duwaji has more than 170,000 followers on Instagram, her posts remain centred on art and advocacy rather than her husband’s political career. Her feed reveals an artist intent on using her platform for storytelling, not self-promotion.
Duwaji met Mamdani in 2021 through the dating app Hinge, and the two quickly bonded over shared values and creative energy. Their engagement took place in Dubai, surrounded by family, and their civil wedding was held in New York in early 2025, followed by a celebration in Uganda, Mamdani’s birthplace.
While Mamdani’s political ascent has been swift, Duwaji has chosen to remain in the background. She has rarely appeared at campaign events and has declined interviews, though she is credited with helping shape elements of the campaign’s branding and digital identity. Her public appearances have been limited to key moments, including Mamdani’s Democratic primary victory in June and a rally in Queens alongside Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders.
Those close to the couple describe Duwaji as a grounding presence and quiet strategist. Her discretion contrasts with Mamdani’s high-energy campaign, which has leaned heavily on social media and grassroots outreach.
Now, as the 28-year-old artist becomes New York’s youngest and first Muslim First Lady, Duwaji represents a new generation of politically adjacent creatives who merge culture with conscience rather than ambition alone. She continues to live and work in Brooklyn, dividing her time between artistic projects and visits to her family in Dubai.
Her story resonates with Arab and diaspora audiences who see in her both familiarity and aspiration as an artist bridging East and West, the personal and the political.
As Mamdani wrote in an Instagram post earlier this year, “Rama isn’t just my wife, she’s an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms.”
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