Why is the media shielding Zohran Mamdani over his wife's social media?

Supporters of New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani often insist he is a moderate voice in a polarized debate about Israel. But on October 7 itself, while the attack was still unfolding, his wife, Rama Duwaji, liked Instagram posts celebrating the massacre as "collective liberation".

According to reporting by The Free Press, it was one of more than 70 anti-Israel posts she endorsed or liked online, including claims of a "mass rape hoax" on October 7. There were also posts accusing Israel of committing "genocide" two weeks before Tel Aviv even launched a counteroffensive, and messages praising radical campus protests. In addition, Duwaji follows activist accounts that glorify Palestinian "martyrs" and liked content from Bisan Owda, an activist accused of ties to the US-designated terrorist group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.