The organization behind the upscale, Islamic-focused women’s retreat where New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, served as an “artist-in-residence” has published social media posts calling for Israel’s destruction and for Palestine to be purged of its alleged “oppressors.”
“The apartheid colonial state of Israel has committed a genocide against the Palestinian people,” the Women Sanctuary wrote in an October 2025 Instagram post. The group hosted the “Journey through Islamic Calligraphy” retreat attended by Duwaji in Porto, Portugal.
“Abolish the colonial apartheid state of Israel. Free Palestine,” the post added. The Washington Free Beacon first reported the message.
In another lengthy post published in May 2024, the Women Sanctuary expressed hope that freedom would “illuminate the blessed lands of Palestine, from the river to the sea.”
Many Jewish groups and Israel supporters regard the phrase “from the river to the sea” as antisemitic. The slogan invokes the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, and critics say it advocates eliminating Israel and its Jewish population.
The group also posted a prayer in September 2024 asking “Allah” for the “liberation of Palestine.”
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“Cleanse Palestine from tyranny and from its oppressors,” the message said.
A March 2025 Instagram post offered another pointed message: “May the winds of freedom sweep across Palestine, ushering in the complete and rightful restoration of the land’s true stewards.”
Duwaji, 29, led the Women Sanctuary’s “marvelous illustration workshop” during a summer retreat earlier this year.
Participants paid between $4,300 for a shared room and $5,260 for a private room with an attached bathroom at the manor house, located in the quiet countryside of Arcos de Valdevez.
In July, New York’s controversial first lady drew attention after skipping the United States’ 250th birthday celebration to attend another Women Sanctuary retreat on Mallorca, a Spanish resort island.
The scrutiny over Duwaji’s relationship with the group came as her husband unveiled a plan Tuesday to address antisemitism in New York City. The initiative, however, made no mention of Zionism.