Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife Rama Duwaji is once again jetting off to Europe for a posh, Islamic- centered women’s retreat, The Post has learned.
Gotham’s controversial first lady will be resuming her role as the “artist-in-residence” with The Women Sanctuary for the third time this year when they host the “Journey through Islamic Calligraphy” retreat in Porto, Portugal.
The spiritual wellness gathering is set to take place in two sessions from Sept. 16-21 and 25-30, according to the group’s website.
“Some days, we will explore the rich history of Islam in Portugal, uncovering the traces of a remarkable legacy still woven into the landscape. On others, we will gather for a marvelous illustration workshop with our artist-in-residence, Rama Duwaji, celebrating this heritage,” the retreat’s website says.
Other afternoons will be dedicated to picnics, pool-side hangouts, walks and chats.
“We believe these unhurried moments are just as much a part of the retreat as the program itself; a space for suhbah, spiritual reflection, and presence, where hearts can soften, souls can be nourished, and remembrance can arise naturally amidst the beauty of creation,” The Women Sanctuary boasts.
The retreat, priced from $4,300 for a shared room to $5,260 for a private room with a private bathroom, will take place at the manor house in the tranquil countryside of Arcos de Valdevez.
“Surrounded by nature, the venue provides a truly restorative environment, featuring an exceptional heated outdoor pool, a heated indoor pool, and beautifully landscaped gardens,” says the Women Sanctuary website.
Critics scoffed at Duwaji’s latest high-flying jaunt.
“Former first ladies spent their time visiting schools and doing charitable work,” Queens City Councilwoman Joann Ariola told The Post. “Being Zohran Mamdani’s wife must be very stressful because this first lady is more interested in vacations than she is in matters that affect New Yorkers.”
“They’re acting like jet setters when they’re supposed to be for New Yorkers but they’re anything but. She’s a good example of the hypocrisy of this administration,” former Queens City councilman Bob Holden said.
Duwaji, 29, made headlines last month when she skipped out of town for America’s 250th birthday celebration for an Islamic “spiritual wellness” retreat with The Women Sanctuary on the Spanish resort island of Mallorca.
The Syrian-American animator, illustrator and ceramist also attended a second The Women Sanctuary retreat from July 9-14 in Corsica, France that honored “the legacy of Mary, the most honored woman in the Quran,”
Mamdani’s wife has been known for her anti-US, anti-Israel rhetoric.
“American soldiers fighting in imperialist wars are not brave nor are they fighting for anyone’s freedom. They are mercilessly slaughtering 3rd world civilians and fighting to maintain American hegemony,” she raged in a 2015 Tumblr post.
Hizzoner has come to his wife’s defense, stressing that she should be free of public criticism because she is not an official member of the administration.
In September, Duwaji is slated to visit Lebanon and Syria, where she has relatives.
Both countries are listed on the State Department’s “Do Not Travel” list for Americans.
City Hall originally said that Duwaji would have an NYPD security detail for the trip, but the NYPD later denied that claim. Mamdani blamed his own staff for the communication snafu.
Read the full article here
