Fox News reports that Rama Duwaji, the wife of newly elected New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, is co-hosting an Islamic women's "spiritual wellness" retreat on the French island of Corsica that reportedly frames the Virgin Mary as a "Palestinian woman" living under occupation. The story is presented in the context of Mamdani's high profile as a Democratic socialist and the first Muslim mayor of New York City, and of ongoing conservative criticism of both him and his wife over their pro-Palestinian views, making the retreat's framing of a figure revered in both Christianity and Islam a point of political controversy.

The retreat is run by an organisation called The Women's Sanctuary, which describes itself as rooted in Islamic tradition and offers gatherings in Mediterranean destinations; its website highlights Mary (Maryam) as the only woman named in the Qur'an, mentioned 34 times, with a chapter revealed in her name. The article notes that Duwaji, a Syrian American artist, previously attended the group's sold-out "Plants of the Quran" retreat in Mallorca, Spain, over the Fourth of July holiday, prompting criticism from Republican Councilwoman Joann Ariola of Queens. Fox also acknowledges that the organisation's website does not explicitly list Duwaji as a co-host for the current French event, with that claim attributed to reporting by the New York Post.