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‘Who Makes You God?’ — Ambassador of Peace Blasts NYC Councilwoman Shahana Hanif Over Jahannam Curse Targeting Muslim Peacemakers
Zebunnesa Zubair, widely recognized as an Ambassador of Peace, delivers a searing public rebuke to City Council Member Shahana Hanif after Hanif publicly cursed Muslim women who stood with the Jewish community — raising urgent questions about conduct, faith, and public accountability.
NEW YORK CITY — A firestorm of outrage has erupted in New York City’s civic and faith communities after NYC Council Member Shahana Hanif publicly wrote “May Allah condemn you to Jahannam” — effectively wishing hellfire — upon Muslim women led by Dr. Anila Ali President & CEO of American Muslim Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council (AMMWEC), who joined an End Jew Hatred rally in solidarity with the Jewish community. Now, Zebunnesa Zubair, a widely recognized Ambassador of Peace and committed advocate for American values, has issued a powerful and unsparing public condemnation of the council member’s conduct.
Hanif’s remark was directed at Anila Ali, a prominent Muslim-American activist, after Ali posted on her social media account announcing she was joining the End Jew Hatred movement to stand with the Jewish people. Hanif, a sitting New York City Council Member, responded publicly with the religious curse — a statement that critics say constitutes a grotesque abuse of public office and a violation of the Council’s own anti-harassment and discrimination policies.
Shahana Hanif — who makes you God? Are you the one who is going to decide who is going to hell and who is going to heaven on Judgment Day? Why do you use religion as a tool for hate speech under the guise of free speech to gaslight others who have different views than yours?
You hold a public office in the United States of America. You must know America has been a great ally to the state of Israel. American civilians and foreign policy have supported the State of Israel. Why do you wish Anila Ali and me to go to Jahannam, or hellfire, during auspicious Muslim holidays? What message are you giving to us and the world?
Hypocritical and malicious people like you can’t wish well for others, only spewing hate, with the whole nation and world watching. So-called hypocritical Muslims like you are bad examples for Western and American Muslims and a reason for rising Islamophobia in the West.
Remember, there is no place for hatred towards Jews in the United States of America. When you hate one, you provoke hate for others. No place for hate exists in the United States of America.
Don’t you know American values are built on Judeo-Christian values, or Abrahamic faith? You’re eating from the same plate you’re making holes in. Don’t you know spewing hate and antisemitism is a sin in any religion? Who are you to decide who is going to hell?
Because of hypocritical so-called Muslims who are antisemites like you, Palestinians don’t have a home today. You guys play with the victimhood of the 80-year refugee industry, profiting from Palestinian blood and blaming Israel and Jews.
People like you make our Muslim immigrant communities look foolish and promote anti-Americanism by using fear of faith as a tool. Why do you stay in the United States if American values don’t align with yours? Day by day, our Muslim immigrants are falling behind in Western societies. How much knowledge and understanding do you have about Abrahamic faith and American values?
As a Muslim living in Western society with a different point of view, cursing other Muslims during auspicious Muslim holidays looks disgraceful in Western civil society. The United States of America is a country for civil society; don’t dare spew hate and try to be a messiah with your stupid remarks against other Muslim peacemakers who possess different views than yours.
We will find out who is funding you, making you a “Hate Messiah” spewing hate within our American society.
A Pattern of Conduct: What Hanif Did — and Its Consequences
The incident did not occur in isolation. According to civic advocates now calling for a formal investigation, Council Member Hanif has a documented record of refusing to support Jewish community concerns. She was one of the few council members who declined to support the End Jew Hatred Day resolution when it passed the New York City Council three years ago — claiming, critics say disingenuously, that the organization behind it was too political, even though the resolution was broadly bipartisan and non-partisan in intent.
“This absolutely violates rules of conduct and is inconsistent with the Council’s anti-harassment and discrimination policy. She posted this on a public forum.”
— Civic advocate calling for investigation into Council Member Shahana HanifAdvocates are now urging the New York City Council to apply the same standards it has already used against members of the opposite party — and to launch a formal investigation into Hanif’s conduct. The case, they argue, transcends party lines: a sitting elected official used religious language to publicly damn a private citizen for standing against antisemitism.
Community and Media Voices Amplify the Outcry
The controversy has drawn attention from multiple community outlets and media personalities. Bengali-language media platform Bangla One TV also weighed in, amplifying the story to South Asian Muslim diaspora communities across the New York metropolitan area.
Why This Matters: Faith, Public Office, and American Values
Zubair’s statement cuts to the heart of a deeper tension in American Muslim civic life. As she argues forcefully, the notion that opposition to antisemitism is somehow a betrayal of Muslim identity is not only theologically incoherent — it is precisely the sort of distortion that foreign-funded extremist narratives have worked to embed in Muslim-American communities.
The End Jew Hatred Movement & Anila Ali
Anila Ali is a prominent Muslim-American civic activist who posted her support for the End Jew Hatred movement at a multi-faith rally held to oppose antisemitism. The rally also protested New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s positions on Israel. Council Member Shahana Hanif publicly responded to Ali’s post with the phrase “May Allah condemn you to Jahannam” — a statement that has now triggered formal calls for a City Council investigation and ethics review.
Zubair’s rebuke is grounded in a vision of Islam and American citizenship that is integrative rather than oppositional — one that sees the defense of Jewish life and dignity as a religious and civic imperative, not a compromise. Her statement pointedly notes that antisemitism is “a sin in any religion,” and challenges Hanif to justify how a public official who swore an oath to serve all New Yorkers can publicly wish divine condemnation upon Muslim constituents who exercise their right to stand in solidarity with Jewish Americans.
Zubair also raises a question that is now reverberating through civic circles: Who is funding Shahana Hanif? The Ambassador of Peace has pledged to investigate the sources of financial support behind the council member’s political operations — a question that, in the era of the DETERRENT Act and growing scrutiny over foreign influence, carries significant weight.
A Call to Action for All Americans
The Faith & Freedom News editorial community stands with voices like Zebunnesa Zubair’s — voices that refuse to allow hatred to masquerade as faith, and that hold public officials to account regardless of their identity or political affiliation. The principle is simple: no elected official in the United States of America may weaponize religion to curse citizens who choose peace, solidarity, and the defense of Jewish life.
Readers are encouraged to contact the New York City Council and urge them to launch a full investigation into Council Member Shahana Hanif’s conduct — and to read FFN’s related reporting on this story below.
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