(NEW YORK (VINnews) – New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has come under criticism following reports that he met multiple times with a Queens-based Muslim cleric accused of Holocaust denial and of praising Hamas after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, according to the Washington Free Beacon.

The report said Mamdani attended several events with Sheikh Fadhel Al-Sahlani of the Al-Khoei Islamic Center in Queens, including Ramadan and community gatherings over the past year.

According to the report, Al-Sahlani delivered sermons following the Hamas attack in which he praised the terror group for creating what he described as significant political change. The report also cited past remarks in which the cleric allegedly questioned the scale of the Holocaust and suggested Zionists exaggerated Jewish death figures.

Mamdani’s office said the mayor rejects the imam’s views regarding Hamas and the Holocaust.

“Sheikh Fadhel Al-Sahlani’s Holocaust denial and comments about Hamas are diametrically opposed to the mayor’s values,” spokesperson Sam Raskin said in a statement cited in the report.

The mayor’s office added that Mamdani regularly visits religious institutions and houses of worship across New York City and that such appearances should not be viewed as endorsements of all views expressed by individuals affiliated with those organizations.

Mamdani, New York City’s first Muslim mayor, has faced criticism from some Jewish groups and pro-Israel advocates over his comments on Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The report also noted that previous New York City mayors, including Michael Bloomberg and Eric Adams, have attended events involving the cleric in prior years.