NEW YORK (LifeSiteNews) – Far-left Democrat U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York drew scrutiny for donning a Muslim hijab while addressing a recent Islamic gathering in the Big Apple.
May 27 marked the beginning of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, which lasts until May 30. The Daily Mail reported that AOC was among the public figures to speak at a holiday event in the Bronx on Wednesday, wearing the traditional Muslim head garment.
Irony wrote itself. pic.twitter.com/ToxTBKuXq7
— LifeSiteNews (@LifeSite) May 29, 2026
The move sparked a smattering of criticism and mockery online.
“This theatrical Marxist simpleton screams about patriarchy while cosplaying in a garment mandated by brutal theocracies. Iranian morality police execute women over this exact covering,” one social media user opined. “Yet this lobotomized progressive parasite treats their subjugation as a trendy accessory.”
Commentary Magazine editor John Podhoretz questioned whether or not it was respectful for non-members of a faith to wear such articles while in its houses of worship. The congresswoman responded, “This is at a mosque, where we were invited by the congregation to speak before prayer. In this context, head coverings are the respectful move. One of the fun parts of being a rep for NYC is learning different customs for so many communities.”
Hey there! It’s the first. This is at a mosque, where we were invited by the congregation to speak before prayer. In this context, head coverings are the respectful move. One of the fun parts of being a rep for NYC is learning different customs for so many communities. Cheers!
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 28, 2026
Far-left Mayor Zohran Mamdani also attended, wearing a Muslim kurta. “Today, as we honor Prophet Ibrahim, Eid al-Adha reminds us that sacrifice is not a burden. It is an opportunity to see ourselves as part of something larger,” he posted. “To extend a hand to those who need it most. I am honored to be New York City’s first Muslim mayor and I am determined to lead through solidarity.”
As for Ocasio-Cortez, she identifies as Catholic yet is one of the most far-left members of Congress, including stances in direct opposition to basic Christian teaching. She holds 100% pro-abortion ratings with Planned Parenthood, NARAL, National Right to Life Committee, and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America; and a 100% pro-LGBT rating with the homosexual pressure group Human Rights Campaign.
The story highlights a persistent tension in so-called progressives’ dominant political strategy of playing to the perceived grievances of various groups based on ethnic, religious, or sexual identity in that occasionally those groups’ dominant values can come into conflict.
In the United States, for instance, leftists regularly cast homosexuals, transgenders, and Muslims (among others) as ongoing victims of institutionalized discrimination and deep-seated cultural bigotry (despite the LGBT community enjoying so much cultural dominance as to make “Pride Month” an annual nationwide tradition), yet majority-Muslim countries in the Middle East are known for subjecting homosexuals to violence and abuse virtually unheard of in present-day America.
By contrast, leftists commonly deploy the labels “homophobia” and “transphobia” against individuals who merely hold religious views of sexual morality incompatible with same-sex unions or object to the notion that gender is a malleable social construct while nevertheless treating same-sex-attracted or gender-confused individuals humanely.