Moumita Ahmed pictured center (Moumita Ahmed for District Leader)
April 27, 2020 By Allie Griffin
Two Muslim women running for elected office were kicked of the ballot by the Board of Elections Thursday — and several of their supporters say the ruling was based on xenophobia.
The BOE removed Mary Jobaida, who aims to unseat Cathy Nolan in Assembly District 37, and Moumita Ahmed, who is vying to be the Democratic district leader in Assembly District 24, citing technical errors.
The board ruled that the name each is running under doesn’t match the names they’ve registered to vote with.
But many say the BOE’s ruling was racist — a move to keep two Bangladeshi women out of office.
“At face value, the decisions against Mary Jobaida and Moumita Ahmed was a xenophobic attempt to keep two women of color from entering the political discourse,” said Council Member Costa Constantinides, a candidate for Queens Borough President.
Mary Jobaida (Mary for Assembly)
The Queens Democratic Socialists called the BOE’s decision “undemocratic.” The group said the board used the cultural differences with the women’s names to get rid of them — which they called “despicable and racist.”
For instance, Jobaida is running under her nickname Mary, but she originally registered with the BOE to vote under her name Meherunnisa.
The South Asian American Voters Association also chimed in on Twitter.
“This is totally xenophobic attempt to keep @disruptionary and @maryforassembly off the ballot. We strongly condemning the action to silence our south Asian community.”
Ahmed herself called the BOE racist in an emotional video posted to her Twitter page.
A big Ramadan mubarak to me from @BOENYC. They rejected my name change because I never sent back a letter I never got from them.
NOTE: The letter was not certified mail. I never got it.
They are taking me off the ballot because my mailman didn’t do his job during #COViD19. pic.twitter.com/B1Yahsjtu7
— Moumita for District Leader ? (@disruptionary) April 23, 2020
She said the board was taking away her opportunity to finally bring representation to her community.
Ahmed said some of the BOE comments on the name issue were “discriminatory to a Muslim population and the Bangladeshi community that has already dealing with so much.”
“I’m running in a district where there’s no representation for us and I’m running to support them,” she said.
An attorney, who represents both candidates, has filed a lawsuit to challenge the BOE’s decision in court.
Jobaida said she is ready to continue to fight for representation.
“It’s not easy for a Muslim woman to run for office,” she said on Twitter. “They need to move layers of barriers to even think about it.”
The BOE didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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24 Comments
You’re still playing the race card.sound like you have victimitis.
Of course its the party of Joe Crowley, Jimmy Van Bramer, Kathy Nolan, Daniel Dromm and Party Bosses Sweeney, Reich and Bolz. Donald Manes remember him and Thomas Manton. Mumita and Jobaida don’t look anything like the above mentioned, but remember there is hope – out of no where Alejandra Ocasio Cortez beat Joe Crowley. Jimmy Van Bramer and Daniel Dromm are super “Phony” so called progressives whose claim to fame is sponsoring Drag Queen Story hour other than that, they have nothing else to show. I say to you organize, organize, organize and show up at challenge your elected officials in public once every reopens after COVID19. Don’t Give Up. You have my vote.
So ridiculous. If you’re going to cry ? about this how the hell would you do the job when something major occurs??
Apparently everything is racist or a product of racism. If all else fails cash in your race card for immediate support and meeting of demands.
“Two democratic candidates for office fail to qualify for ballot, fake cries of racism ensue.”
My parents are from Southern Europe. I was never considered “white” in this city by my peers/colleagues until a few years ago as the city and certain groups looked for people to blame. I was always Italian..now i am just another racist white guy in a city where I am statistically the minority.
For the rest of the world, most Muslim people from the middle east and northern Africa are considered white. The USA is one of the few if not the only place where they have separate categories for them when it comes to race.
No one is allowed to use nicknames to run for office. This helps prevent identity fraud. It is reasonable for the Board of Elections to maintain that rule. It isn’t discriminatory. Even presidents who were known by nicknames, like John F Kennedy, who was called Jack, or Dwight D Eisenhower, known as Ike, ran for office under their legal names.
Why would Muslim woman assume the name, Mary? “Mary” must be the most Christian female name in history! Need something more pronouncable for the natives? Try, “Marwa.”
@hashtagger – I love when someone like you just keeps on giving with your two dimensional “understanding” to politics or just about anything else; black, white; good, bad; left, right.
In Open and Democratic societies, this is the most successful strategy to get elected today. Every single “minority” candidate who resorted to this very smart strategy ended up getting elected. It takes publicity and name and face recognition to get elected. All that cost a lot of money. If you are a “minority” who want to be elected, you can get all of this publicity for free. All what a “minority” needs to do to exploit free publicity is “cry me a river”, scream “America is racist” and “Whites are bigots”. If you are an Islamist, you are even entitled for a lot more publicity. This is the modus operandi of the Council for American Islamization and Radicalization. They run special workshops to train and coach their agitators and agent provocatures on these tactics. In my opinion, this racketeering. It is creating a lot of tension in the society. It is time that the Department of Justice take notice and prosecute those who exploit the race card to achieve their political hegemony.
There must be a handbook for every newly arrived immigrant, legal or illegal that intsructs them to simply cry “racism!” whenever something doesn’t go their way.
Did something illegal, stupid or just had plain old bad luck – then just accuse someone of racism. Easier than getting by on your hard work or talent.
I didn’t know Muslim was a race.
No addition
So why did you not officially change your name, Mary? Why didn’t you check that out before running for public office?
What name is on your tax returns, your drivers’ license, your social security card, etc.? Even AOC wouldn’t object to being listed as Alexandria.
Catherine or Cathy, Sunnyside knows who has done her job well and deserves re-election: Nolan.
When you register to vote, do you use your real name or your nickname? How about when you file your taxes or apply for a state ID or passport?
These candidates have nobody but themselves to blame for screwing up. They didn’t follow simple instructions. Better luck next time!
definition of racism:
prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior.
Name discrepancy = the white race is superior?
I love it when the Left eats its own!
Beside playing the race card, crying like a child is not what gets you liked or elected as a public official/ leader. The public needs to know that when things get hard or when situations arise that are out of your control that you dont start crying like a child nor do you think that it is acceptable to post yourself crying like a baby that doesnt think its fare. Ahhhh did the big bad politicians be meanies to you? Welcome to America kid, now what are you gonna do cry like a little punk or do something about it. This kid lost before the word go.
Board of Elections is not racist.
All one has to do is read the instructions.
Blame it on the mailman? You have to be kidding.
Two years from now you get another chance. Don’t blow it!
Why do you think the political and economic interests of people of your race/culture can not fairly be representative of people of other races or cultures?
If so Then a political district should be exclusively Bengali, exclusively Irish, exclusively Jewish, exclusively Muslim, exclusively Roman Catholic, Exclusively, Methodist, exclusively Carribbean African American, exclusively residents without proper documentation? Think about it.
The race card, don’t leave home without it!
Racism, racist, xenophobia – these words get tossed around like confetti these days. (Yawn).
Definitely not identity politics right? Definitely not racism?
Just keep your name as is.
If your name is Zxcvbnmasdfghlroe don’t change your name to Tony.
Want people to respect your roots? You start respecting the name your parents gave you.
Register: Write your name here:
– *writes real name”
*Goes around with a nickname*
Thats racism, xenophobia, islamophobia, aracnophobia, agoraphobia, photophobia or whatever fits.
Do these people know what is Identity, identification and accuracy? They are applying to a civil public job. Changing your name in front of the public is fraud. Prove me wrong.