New York’s Mamdani and Sri Lanka’s Mamdani

While the United States celebrates the election of Zohran Mamdani as New York City’s first Muslim mayor, a small island in the Indian Ocean has its own progressive story to tell.

Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, has elected six Muslim mayors since the country gained independence in 1948.

Despite the fact that 74 percent of Sri Lanka’s population is Sinhalese and 69 percent identify as Buddhist, the island nation has a longstanding tradition of electing representatives from minority representatives such as Mamdani’s to key positions.

In Colombo — a city known for its ethnic diversity of Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, and others — the first Muslim mayor was elected in 1960.

He was M.H. Mohamed, now deceased, and later went on to serve as a powerful cabinet minister in the national government.

Jabir A. Cader, who was elected in 1966, and then by A.H.M. Fowzie, a left-leaning politician who became mayor in 1974.

Fowzie later emerged as a significant national figure, serving as a cabinet minister from 1994 to 2005.

Later he was elected to Parliament by a commanding majority in the Colombo district — where roughly 75 percent of voters are Sinhalese.

In 1991, Colombo residents elected M. Hussain Mohamed, the son of the former cabinet minister and Colombo mayor M.J. Mohamed.

The city’s openness to diversity continued when Uvais Mohamed Imitiyas, a taxi driver, was elected mayor in 2006, followed by A.J.M. Muzammil in 2011.

Today, Sri Lanka’s population remains 74 percent Sinhalese, 11 percent Tamil, and around 9 percent Muslim.

Visitors to Colombo can explore the historic Town Hall, home to the Colombo Municipal Council, to witness the legacy of a city that has withstood invasions, bombs, conflicts, and floods — and yet continues to stand tall as a symbol of resilience and diversity.