A women’s organization hosting an Islamic-themed retreat attended by Rama Duwaji, wife of New York City Mayor Lumumba Mamdani, has drawn scrutiny for social media posts calling for the destruction of Israel. The group, known as Women Sanctuary, published messages last year denouncing Israel as an apartheid state and urged the liberation of “Palestine” through language critics say evokes the elimination of Israel.

In October 2025, the nonprofit posted on Instagram that the “apartheid colonial state of Israel has committed a genocide against the Palestinian people” and called to “abolish the colonial apartheid state of Israel” and “free Palestine.” Earlier posts included a May 2024 message expressing hope for freedom across “the blessed lands of Palestine, from the river to the sea.” The phrase “from the river to the sea” refers to the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea and is widely regarded as a controversial slogan that many interpret as advocating for the eradication of the State of Israel.

In September 2024, Women Sanctuary issued a prayer asking for the “liberation of Palestine” and for Allah to “cleanse Palestine from tyranny and from its oppressors.” The postings have been characterized by some observers as containing anti-Semitic rhetoric.

Rama Duwaji is participating as an artist-in-residence at the retreat, which is taking place in Porto, Portugal. Her involvement has drawn attention in the context of recent political developments in New York City: on the same day Duwaji was at the event, Mayor Mamdani announced a new initiative aimed at combating antisemitism across the city.

The mayor’s office has not publicly commented on Duwaji’s association with the group or addressed the content of Women Sanctuary’s social media posts. Meanwhile, supporters of Palestinian rights may view the organization’s messaging as part of the broader discourse opposing Israeli policies.

The tensions highlight the ongoing challenges in balancing activism related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with concerns about language that some perceive as inciting hostility towards Israel or Jewish communities.