While New York City celebrated the nation’s 250th anniversary, Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, traveled to Spain to take part in an Islamic spiritual retreat, drawing criticism from political opponents who questioned her absence during one of the country’s most significant patriotic observances.

Duwaji, a Syrian-American artist who was raised in Dallas and educated in Dubai, was seen Monday at Newark Liberty International Airport boarding a flight to Palma, the capital of the Spanish island of Mallorca. According to reports, she traveled there to participate in a sold-out retreat organized by The Women’s Sanctuary, where she serves as the group’s artist-in-residence and one of the event’s hosts.

The retreat, titled “Plants Of The Quran,” carries a price tag of approximately $3,400 per attendee. Running from Wednesday through Monday, the program centers on plants referenced in the Quran through art, botanical instruction, and spiritual reflection.

Following the Mallorca event, Duwaji is expected to travel to Corsica, France, to help lead another sold-out Women’s Sanctuary retreat scheduled for July 9 through July 14. That gathering, titled “Mary In The Quran,” promises to “explore” in “depth” the legacy of Mary, described by organizers as “the most honored woman in the Qur’an.”

Conservative commentator and comedian Arynne Wexler posted photographs on X on Friday showing Duwaji seated at a United Airlines departure gate before her flight. Wexler criticized the timing of the trip, writing, “Funny how when @ZohranKMamdani was telling New Yorkers to lower their AC his wife Rama Duwaji was boarding a flight to party in Mallorca.”

Wexler added, “Reminder that I can’t tag her because she deleted her account after her insanely offensive tweets were discovered. Champagne socialists,” referring to controversial racial, homophobic, and other social media posts from more than a decade ago that resurfaced earlier this year.

According to Wexler’s publicist, the photographs were taken by an acquaintance who happened to be on the same flight and were shared so the public would be aware of Duwaji’s travel.

The cost of Duwaji’s airfare has not been disclosed. However, round-trip tickets between Newark and Palma later this month were listed at approximately $930 as of yesterday.

Her decision to leave the country during the America 250 celebrations quickly drew criticism from Republican officials in New York City.

“Nothing says ‘America 250’ quite like skipping the celebration for a Mediterranean vacation, but I am not surprised because she has made her hatred for America very evident,” said Councilwoman Joann Ariola of Queens.

Councilman Frank Morano of Staten Island also criticized the trip.

“It’s disappointing that the First Lady chose to be overseas instead of taking part in one of the biggest civic events our city and country will mark this year,” he said.

“No one is saying elected officials and their families can’t take vacations, but this was a moment to show up for the city and for the country, and she missed it.”

City Hall declined to respond directly to the criticism but confirmed that Duwaji was not accompanied by members of the NYPD security detail assigned to the mayor and his family.

Duwaji has previously faced scrutiny over deleted social media posts. According to a March report by the Washington Free Beacon, some of the posts praised Palestinian terrorist organizations, while others criticized American military personnel for supporting Israel.

One post she reposted on Tumblr in 2015 declared, “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.”

Mayor Mamdani, who has also been sharply critical of Israel, has defended his wife, arguing that her past online activity should not be treated as a political issue because she holds no official position in his administration. Duwaji has since apologized for many of her earlier posts.

While his wife was overseas, Mamdani remained in New York, where he faced criticism over his handling of the city’s first major heat wave since taking office. He urged residents to set their air conditioners to 78 degrees, even as temperatures inside portions of City Hall reportedly dropped as low as 54 degrees.

Mamdani also participated in the city’s America 250 observances, delivering a 15-minute speech from City Hall in which he criticized capitalism and America’s involvement in foreign conflicts while seated at the former desk of George Washington.

Yesterday, the mayor attended the Sail4th 250 International Parade of Sail on Governors Island and was later scheduled to preside over the Empire State Building’s Fourth of July lighting ceremony.

{Matzav.com}