Charles Asher Smith - Zohran Mamdani’s Rise: The Movement Reshaping New York

Andrew Gold sits down with Charles Asher Small, one of the world’s leading experts on extremism and ideological movements, to explore how figures like Zohran Mamdani have become central to a political shift transforming parts of New York. Small argues that Mamdani’s rise is not an isolated story—but part of a much broader ideological project reaching back nearly a century. Subscribe to Heretics Clips for more fearless, in-depth conversations: https://www.youtube.com/@hereticsclips/videos

In this gripping conversation, Small explains how long-term, strategic ideological movements have gradually gained influence across Western institutions—shaping politics, culture, academic spaces, and public debate. He argues that certain networks, originally linked to the Muslim Brotherhood’s intellectual legacy, have been remarkably effective at embedding themselves into the fabric of Western political discourse over several decades.

Small also examines how activists, politicians, and ideological groups have formed powerful alliances within American progressive spaces, helping propel voices like Zohran Mamdani to prominence. Without making defamatory or unverified claims, Small describes how a new ideological ecosystem has emerged—one that blends anti-imperialist rhetoric, identity-based politics, and radical critiques of Western institutions.

He also discusses the influence of Qatar’s soft-power outreach, which he argues has shaped academic and cultural conversations in the West, subtly shifting narratives around geopolitics, ideology, and identity. Small places this within a larger framework he calls the “Red–Green Coalition”—a convergence of radical left movements and Islamist ideological actors who share a desire to challenge traditional Western structures.

In this episode, we explore:

How ideological movements gain footholds in universities, NGOs, media, and politics

Why some Middle Eastern nations have banned the Muslim Brotherhood

Whether the West is “sleepwalking through a revolution”

The implications of the UK’s 40,000-person jihadist watchlist

How ideological alliances shape policy debates in New York and beyond

Whether certain extremist interpretations of political Islam clash with liberal democratic values

How ordinary Muslims often suffer most under extremist ideologies

Throughout the conversation, Small is emphatic: the issue is ideology—not ordinary Muslim communities, who are overwhelmingly peaceful and want nothing to do with extremism.

This is a high-stakes, thought-provoking exploration of modern political movements, ideological influence, and the shifting landscape of Western democracy.

Watch the full podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWpJKSqA-FE

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