The faith of Zohran Mamdani, Iranian Christians' fear and hope, and Jewish players in the NBA draft

Religion links for 6.27.25

The iconic torii gate pathway into the Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto, Japan. One of the best-known Shinto shrines in the world, the shrine contains around 10,000 torii in total, including 800 in the tunnel-like Senbon Torii. These gates designate the entrance to the sacred space and are said to protect against evil. [Wikimedia Commons]

Top Story: What does Zohran Mamdani believe?

First, I always hesitate to ask the above question about anyone, especially the likely Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, whose name has been in the news all week. You can point to church attendance or family religious traditions all day long, but personal beliefs are still, well, personal.

(I know a lot of lifelong Southern Baptists who would be surprised by certain teachings from Southern Baptist doctrine, which they absolutely wouldn’t agree with.)

Nevertheless, Mamdani’s rise to prominence isn’t just a politics story, but a religious one because of his Muslim faith. It’s time for a religious explainer. What kind of Muslim is he?