NYC mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's father says he will keep 'arm's length' from son's upcoming administration

The 79-year-old professor spoke to The Guardian U.S. in the wake of his Democratic socialist son’s decisive mayoral election victory in New York City, where he is set to be sworn in as the new mayor Jan. 1. "As to how I will relate to Zohran’s administration, I think initially, at least, both Mira and I will have the relationship we did during the campaign, which is to stay at arm’s length, but always be available," the elder Mamdani told the outlet. Also, Mahmood Mamdani’s 2004 book, "Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror" that was reportedly dedicated to "Zohran and his mates" included a line arguing that suicide bombing "needs to be understood as a feature of modern political violence rather than stigmatized as a mark of barbarism."