A socialist Muslim promised New Yorkers free stuff: He won the primary

By Carl J Chan

Is This a Dangerous Sign of the Decline of Capitalism Based on Individual Freedom?

In marketing, “free” is always the most attractive trick. This capitalist-style technique is deeply rooted in people’s hearts across the globe. On the other side of the earth, in the so-called “socialist” society of China—essentially authoritarian capitalism—scammers often lure elderly people with offers of “free eggs” or “free massages,” only to coax them into handing over their savings for worthless “longevity products.”

Now, in the heart of the Western world, we’re witnessing a version of this strategy not from con artists—but from elected.

According to recent reports, Zohran Mamdani, a self-declared “socialist Muslim,” Free buses, free college, free childcare. To many voters, especially the young and disillusioned, this message was not a threat—it was a promise. A rescue.

This election victory is not just a political curiosity. It is a symptom of a deeper cultural, spiritual, and civilizational shift in the United States—where extreme ideologies on both the left and right are rising, while the foundations of capitalism and individual liberty are eroding.

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The Decline of Classic Capitalism and the Appeal of “Free”

The traditional capitalist ethic—work hard, earn your place, own your property—has long defined the American dream. But in recent decades, that dream has become increasingly difficult to attain. Wage stagnation, skyrocketing housing prices, and elite detachment from working-class struggles have made young Americans question whether the dream was ever real.

For Generation Z and younger Millennials, the phrase “free college” or “free rent” no longer sounds absurd—it sounds fair. To them, capitalism feels like a rigged game played by hedge funds, corporate monopolies, and politicians who collect donations from both. In this emotional context, “socialism” becomes less about Marx and more about mercy. It’s not a deep ideological conversion—it’s a cry for help.

But there’s danger in this trend. When voters are seduced by promises of “free everything,” they often forget the cost: personal autonomy, market innovation, and limited government. Once the government takes responsibility for all your needs, it begins to claim control over all your choices.

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Identity Politics and the New Illiberal Coalition

Mamdani’s victory also reveals the changing dynamics of American identity politics. He represents a new kind of coalition: young, progressive, urban voters, including disaffected minorities, united by a distrust of traditional American institutions—churches, corporations, police, and even the Constitution itself.

As Mamdani’s campaign shows, there is a rising political appetite among some to embrace the economic freedom of the West while rejecting its philosophical foundation—its secular liberalism, its rule of law, and its emphasis on individual responsibility.

To borrow from the brilliant phrase: they want the “Big Mac,” but reject the “Magna Carta.”

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Religious Extremism on Both Ends

This phenomenon is not confined to one religion. While Islamic fundamentalism—with its global network of ideological revivalism—poses challenges, we must not ignore the rise of Christian fundamentalism either. From rural America to YouTube prophets, many Americans have embraced a version of Christianity that rejects science, and treats politics as spiritual warfare.

These two forms of religious extremism—while ideologically opposed—share a common enemy: liberal democracy and secular governance. Both call for a return to a mythic past, both fear pluralism.

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Samuel Huntington’s Prophetic Warning

In his controversial but prescient book, The Clash of Civilizations, political scientist Samuel P. Huntington argued that future conflicts would not be primarily ideological or economic, but civilizational—rooted in deep cultural and religious identities.

We are now living in the middle of that clash. The liberal West, based on Enlightenment values, is facing pressure from within and without. Economic failures, cultural self-doubt, and elite moral relativism have opened the door to rival worldviews that are collectivist, theocratic, and illiberal.

Zohran Mamdani’s victory is not the cause of this crisis—it is a symptom. The real crisis is that many Americans no longer believe in their own civilization’s values. They no longer believe in the American Dream.

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Conclusion: A Warning, Not a Surrender

Democracy, by nature, allows all voices to be heard—including those who wish to dismantle it. That is its strength and its risk. When voters flock to the siren song of “free stuff,” when they embrace religious identities that reject pluralism, and when the state becomes the surrogate for community, we must ask: what comes next?

If Americans do not rediscover the moral and spiritual foundation of freedom with responsibility, capitalism with conscience, and openness with identity, they may wake up one day with neither capitalism nor freedom left.

The challenge is not simply political—it is civilizational.