New York City Mayor Eric Adams questioned Democrat mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's previous calls for legal prostitution, asking how the self-identified Muslim could ever push to decriminalize sex work in the Empire State.
"I can't be more clear," Adams said Sunday, according to the New York Post. "I'm a man of God, just as Mamdani says he's a Muslim. I don't know where in his Quran it states that it's OK for a woman to be on the streets selling their body."
"I don't know what Quran he is reading," he added. "It's not in my Bible. As a man who said he is of faith, I don't quite understand what religion supports prostitution."
Mamdani's religion of Islam prohibits prostitution.
Since he ran for state assembly in 2020, Mamdani has voiced his support for legal prostitution multiple times.
"I would like to register my support for [decriminalizing sex work] legislation, my eagerness for that debate and for my fundamental belief that sex work is work," Mamdani said at a February 2021 assembly meeting.
However, from the outset of his mayoral campaign, the 33-year-old democratic socialist has kept quiet on the controversial issue.
His silence has some critics concerned that Mamdani might suddenly push to decriminalize prostitution in the Big Apple if voters elect him as their next mayor in November.
According to the Post, Adams said that Mamdani doesn't understand the realities of sex work and the associated crime it would bring to the city.
"I think he's lost on the fact that sex trafficking is very much part of prostitution," Adams said. "We are trying to bring down crime, and he is talking about legalizing sex work."
"You're not doing any service to a woman who is on the street who is forced to sell her body for whatever reason," he added. "No one should be on our streets selling their bodies. No one."
Those in favor of decriminalized sex work typically argue that prostitutes would be safer and less vulnerable to violence if the practice were legalized.
But in places where it is legally permitted, such as Nevada and certain European countries, some studies have shown that human trafficking increases to meet the demand for sex workers.
There are also fears that New York City could become a sex tourism hot spot, similar to Amsterdam's notorious Red Light District, if Mamdani is swept into office.
Adams, who is running for reelection against Mamdani as an independent, said he is against that possibility.
"If that is his belief, it is a danger for our city," the mayor said. "Our city needs to be a safe city. It should not be a city where women are standing on corners, or boys are standing on corners, or young men [are] standing on corners selling their bodies."
In a statement to the Post, a Mamdani spokesperson fired back at Adams and sidestepped the question of whether he still supports legalized prostitution.
"Mayor Adams' reckless budget cut over $3 million in funding from Safe Horizon, putting thousands of victims of crimes related to sex trafficking and prostitution in harm's way," the spokesperson said.
"As Mayor, Zohran will prioritize genuine public safety for all, including investing $40M through his Department of Community Safety towards victims services," the statement added.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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