With much of New York’s Jewish electorate behind him, Andrew Cuomo is now turning to Muslim voters with a vow to open the city’s first Arabic-language charter school if elected mayor.
The former governor made the promise during a recent appearance at the Ansarudeen Islamic Center in the Bronx, hosted by Sheikh Ibrahim Niass, as he seeks to close a roughly 10-point gap with Democratic front-runner Zohran Mamdani ahead of the city’s November 4 election.
“When schools are failing, I believe we should close them and replace them with charter schools. If a school fails generation after generation, that’s unacceptable,” Cuomo said. “If a school has been failing for a prolonged period, shut it down and give a charter school or a specialized school the chance to succeed.”
In response, Sheikh Niass praised Cuomo’s pledge and dismissed accusations that the former governor was exploiting Islamophobia, recalling that Cuomo defended Muslims’ right to build a mosque near Ground Zero after 9/11.
“We appreciate his years-long work in standing up against Islamophobia — particularly Trump’s Muslim ban — and his support for a mosque in downtown Manhattan at a time when few showed the same courage,” he stated. “In particular, his willingness to support our efforts for an Arabic charter school is welcome news.”
New York City already has dual-language charters such as the Hebrew Language Academy and the Hellenic Charter Schools, but none teaching Arabic. Charter schools now serve over 150,000 students — about 15 percent of the city’s public-school population — and typically outperform traditional schools on state exams, particularly in low-income districts like the South Bronx.
While Mamdani opposes charter-school expansion, Cuomo’s push for growth dates back to his years as governor, when he signed measures to ease siting rules and boost flexibility for new operators. His position continues to pit him not only against his rival but also against New York City’s powerful teachers’ union, which warns that charter schools drain resources from neighborhood schools.
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