Muslim group with ‘deep’ terrorist ties huge backer of Mamdani campaign
Radical anti-Israel activist Linda Sarsour said that CAIR and its PACs have been the biggest institutional support of Mamdani’s campaign. AP
A Muslim civil rights group that some federal lawmakers have described as having “deep ties to terrorist organizations” has emerged as a major donor to Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign, according to public records.
The Unity and Justice Fund political action committee (PAC), which contributed $120,000 to the Democratic Socialist frontrunner, is linked to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim nonprofit in the U.S., campaign filings show.
The PAC, with offices in Sacramento and Washington, shares addresses and personnel with CAIR, according to Federal Election Commission records and Open Secrets, a government transparency group that tracks political donations.
CAIR leaders denied any organizational ties to the PACs when contacted by The Post on Tuesday but declined to comment further. Another PAC connected to CAIR’s California chapter, Unity Lab PAC, gave $23,500 to Mamdani’s campaign on September 16. Tasneem Manjra, president of Unity Lab, also serves as the communications contact for CAIR Sacramento.
The Unity and Justice Fund PAC is run by Basim Elkarra, former longtime executive director of CAIR California and current treasurer of CAIR Action, which mobilizes Muslim voters nationally. The PAC shares its Washington, D.C., address with the CAIR Foundation, the nonprofit’s national office.
CAIR Action played a key role in rallying Muslim voters for Mamdani, according to activist Linda Sarsour, who has mentored the candidate. Speaking at CAIR’s 2025 Leadership & Policy Conference last month, Sarsour credited the Muslim-American community and PAC funding as central to Mamdani’s rise, saying, “It’s Muslim money. PACs that have supported Zohran…probably over 80% of Muslim-American donors in this country.”
Elkarra, Sacramento-based treasurer of the PAC, has previously promoted the Boycott, Divest, Sanctions (BDS) movement and compared Israel to apartheid South Africa, according to Canary Mission.
CAIR California, the group’s largest chapter, raised more than $17 million in 2023, according to federal filings. Manjra is also listed on the board of UNRWA USA, the American branch of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, which lost U.S. federal funding earlier this year after President Trump cut support following accusations of some members’ involvement in attacks against Israel.
Earlier this year, Manjra, an adult Girl Scout troop leader, threatened to stop selling Girl Scout cookies unless the organization reversed its condemnation of a Missouri troop fundraising for children in Gaza.
Lawmakers have called for investigations into CAIR’s alleged ties to terrorism. Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton and New York Representative Elise Stefanik sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last month urging an investigation into CAIR’s alleged links to Hamas. The lawmakers cited a 2008 terrorism-financing trial in which the Holy Land Foundation and five leaders were convicted of providing material support to Hamas, noting that CAIR was named as an unindicted co-conspirator with evidence of direct financial interactions with the charity.
In 2017, Mamdani, performing as rapper Mr. Cardamon, praised the directors of the Holy Land Foundation — known as the “Holy Land Five” — in a song called “Salaam,” describing it as a reflection of his experience growing up Muslim in New York.
In August, Cotton urged the IRS to revoke CAIR’s tax-exempt status, arguing that its alleged ties to terrorist groups should prevent the organization from maintaining nonprofit privileges.
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