The dark relationship between the government of Qatar and the family of the jihadist Mamdani

The newspaper The New York Post revealed the close ties between Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair, known for her critical stance toward Israel, and the ruling elite of Qatar, a country accused of financing extremist organizations such as Hamas.

Nair is none other than the mother ofZohran Mamdani, a state assemblyman from Queens and socialist candidate for New York City mayor. The relationship between Nair and the Qatari royalty has caused controversy, especially due to the public support that Sheikha (female form of sheikh) Al-Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani, the emir's sister, has offered to Mamdani's candidacy on social media since June 2025.

The relationship between Nair and Qatardates back more than a decade. In 2009, her film Amelia opened the first Tribeca Film Festival in Doha, and between 2010 and 2014, the Doha Film Institute, founded by the Sheikha, funded a film camp for young Qataris in collaboration with Nair's Maisha Film Labs in East Africa.

In 2012, the same institute covered the entire budget ($15 million) for The Reluctant Fundamentalist, a film directed by Nair and focused on a Pakistani immigrant discriminated against after 9/11. In 2019, Nair directed Nafas, a film about pearl divers in Qatar, commissioned by the National Museum of Qatar, which is chaired by the Sheikha.

Additionally, a company owned by Nair in India did business in 2022 and 2023 with an events firm linked to the Qatari oil sector, and during the 2022 World Cup, Qatar Airways and Qatar Creates produced a theatrical adaptation of Monsoon Wedding directed by her.

Although Qatar has been widely criticized for its human rights abuses, such as the death of thousands of migrant workers and its brutal sharia-based legislation that represses women's rights, Nair has publicly praised her Qatari patrons and has never condemned the regime.

Conservative critics such as Danielle Pletka from the American Enterprise Institute warn that Qatar seeks to gain international influence through cultural funding, attracting figures aligned with its ideological interests.

The controversy has intensified due to the promotion that the Sheikha has made of Mamdani on social media, which has raised concerns about the possibility that the Qatari regime is attempting to influence U.S. politics.

Mamdani's campaign refused to answer whether it has received indirect support through his mother or whether he has had contact with the Sheikha. It also did not directly condemn the Qatari regime, limiting itself to stating that Mamdani "believes in universal human rights and the freedom to fight for justice everywhere."

Meanwhile, his spokesperson described the accusations as an attempt to "weaponize his mother's career against him" and to divert attention from the real issues facing voters. Still, experts warn about Qatar's ability to influence political power through culture and funding.