Overview
- Duwaji’s artwork leads an essay titled “A Trail of Soap” in Everything Is Political, a publication tied to the nonprofit Slow Factory.
- Susan Abulhawa wrote days after Oct. 7 that the Hamas attacks were “a spectacular moment” and has posted terms like “vampires,” “demons,” and “rootless, soulless ghouls” about Jews and Israelis.
- A spokeswoman for Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Duwaji was hired as a freelance illustrator, had not met or engaged with Abulhawa, and had not seen the posts highlighted by reporters.
- The illustration disclosure follows reporting that Duwaji previously liked social media posts celebrating Oct. 7 and content calling reports of sexual violence a “mass rape hoax.”
- Coverage notes Abulhawa publicly defended Duwaji as criticism mounts, and the mayor has characterized his wife as a private person with no role in City Hall.