Ex-Mamdani intern sparks row: Hadeeqa Malik calls protests ‘jihad’; confronts Muslim NYPD officer

A recent video has surfaced of Hadeeqa Malik, a City College of New York (CCNY) student and former intern with New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, making controversial remarks during a CUNY4Palestine webinar titled Islamic Political Activism.In the video, which was shared on Malik’s LinkedIn nearly ten months ago, she describes protest participation, including the risk of being doxed, arrested, or suspended, as part of “jihad”, reported New York Post. She also questions fellow Muslims who choose not to take part in activism, suggesting that they are failing in their duty.According to her LinkedIn profile, Malik interned at Mamdani’s office in summer 2024, where she worked on communications, outreach, and constituent services.

A photo on her profile shows the two smiling together.Malik is currently the president of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at CCNY and lists herself as an outreach coordinator for CAIR (Council on American–Islamic Relations) and a racial justice fellow at the Colin Powell School. She has participated in pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University and other venues.A second video that has also resurfaced shows Malik confronting a Muslim NYPD officer during a protest. In the clip, she criticising him for working with the police while bearing a Muslim identity.The original video of the webinar has since been made private, but it has been reposted by other users online.