I Fought A War Against Radical Islamists Like Mamdani

The terror attacks of Sept. 11 forever changed New York City and the United States of America.  It’s hard to believe that 24 years after the attack, New York City may elect a Ugandan-born Islamist mayor who openly campaigned with an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the first World Trade Center terrorist attack. As a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, I feel compelled to share my firsthand experience with radical Islam and warn America that Zohran Mamdani’s candidacy is a risk to America’s future.

Federal prosecutors considered Imam Siraj Wahhaj an unindicted co-conspirator of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing that killed six people. Several of the terrorists involved in the attack attended his mosque. Wahhaj was never charged in the bombing, but he “defended the attackers and called the CIA and the FBI the ‘real terrorists,’” as the New York Post reported. He was recently photographed standing with his arm slung over Mamdani’s shoulder. Mamdani brazenly called their meeting a “pleasure.” It’s stunning that the city’s leading mayoral candidate is openly campaigning with a terrorist sympathizer.

The radical jihadists who attacked America on 9/11 dramatically changed the course of American history. Personally, it was the catalyst that encouraged me and a new generation of warfighters to join the military. We wanted to kill the monsters responsible for that horrific act of terrorism.

In 2010, I deployed to Afghanistan as an Infantry Rifle Platoon Leader. It was the deadliest year of Operation Enduring Freedom. I saw radical Islam up close and personal. I believe it poses the greatest threat to Western civilization. The Afghans brutally beat their wives, daughters, and sisters. Young boys were frequently victims of rape. During Key Leader Engagements with local Afghan leaders, we would be served tea by boys who were sold into slavery and sexually abused. Our local Afghan interpreter told us that many children were sold into sex slavery by their parents in exchange for educational opportunities. He proudly informed me that many of these boys would return to murder their parents.

My unit included several women who served on our Female Engagement Team. These women were tough, brave, and noticeably blonde. My soldiers constantly had to guard them from our supposed allies in the Afghan army. During foot patrols, squad leaders physically kept local men from lingering near them. Without the protection of my men, these women would have been beaten and raped.

As Americans, we value our families and protecting the innocent. These values often do not appear in Islamic culture. I saw children trapped in sexual slavery by powerful members of the Afghan government. In large families, parents would sell their children to be raped and abused. This was a normal part of their culture.

My experience was not unique. Any service member who deployed will tell you he saw or heard of similar atrocities. Those of us who served outside the wire in hostile territory witnessed the horrors of radical Islam firsthand. I feel obligated to share this experience, even if it’s not politically correct.

Radical Islam is not being contained to Middle Eastern countries. It is rapidly spreading to the west. Multiple child rape gangs have operated for decades in the United Kingdom. Cities like London discovered that thousands of teenage girls were being targeted for grooming and rape. Many of the offenders were Pakistani men who were involved in the city’s growing Muslim community. The rape gangs were discovered in as many as 50 cities in the U.K. In Sweden, migrant men of non-European origin commit 84 percent of assault rapes in Sweden. An Afghan in Sweden is 69 times more likely to commit an aggravated rape than a Swede is. 

This terrifying behavior is coming to the United States. In 2024, Qalinle Ibrahim Dirie, a 42-year-old Somali migrant living in Minnesota, abducted and raped a 12-year-old girl. Following his conviction, the local Islamic center submitted a letter of support on his behalf. The letter stated that Dirie “enriches the lives of those around him” and attributed his crime to “the challenge of starting over in a new culture.” After receiving this endorsement, Dirie received a 12-year sentence this summer, the minimum allowed under Minnesota law.

We are seeing rapid demographic shifts in the Midwest as leftists import these radicals. Dearborn, Michigan, has the largest per capita Muslim population in the country, with 54.5 percent of the city’s residents being either Middle Eastern or North African. This makes it the first U.S. city with a majority Arab population. It is also home to the largest mosque in North America. Throughout the U.S., there are about 4.5 million Muslims, with 58 percent of them being first-generation immigrants. A majority of these Muslims live in states with large cities such as New York, Illinois, and California.

We cannot surrender our cities to this radical ideology. Veterans must stand up and share their stories. Too many Americans are giving up on New York City. I hear conservatives saying New Yorkers deserve Mayor Mamdani. As a small-town Iowa guy, I’ll admit I never much cared for the city. But after 9/11, we were all New Yorkers. We cannot abandon New York or America’s other iconic cities.

President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth have proven that we don’t have to surrender our cities in the face of danger. Their deployment of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles has drastically reduced crime. Their strategy proves that strength and audacity are critical to taking back our cities. As warfighters in Iraq and Afghanistan, we learned never to surrender ground to the enemy. That includes New York City.

After fighting in pointless Forever Wars, veterans would rather defend New York than Kandahar. We must defend our native soil first. We must warn America of the dangers of electing Mamdani, a communist with troubling ties to extremism. We have seen the horrific consequences of radical ideology.

Mamdani may not have a violent criminal history, but his record is alarming. He refused to say Hamas should disarm. He won’t condemn the extremist phrase “Globalize the Intifada.” He seeks associations with Brooklyn imams who encourage jihad.

Radical Islam has made its way into America. It is already here, and it is spreading. America cannot be consumed by it.

Mark Lucas is the founder and pesident of Veteran Action, an organization advocating for America First policies that strengthen national security and provide support to veterans. He served as an infantry officer in the Iowa Army National Guard, graduated from U.S. Army Ranger School, and was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge and Bronze Star Medal in Afghanistan during the deadliest year of Operation Enduring Freedom.