New York City's first lady is set to serve as artist-in-residence at a $5,000-a-head Islamic calligraphy retreat in Portugal, her third European getaway since July, drawing sharp criticism from city lawmakers.
Rama Duwaji, the 29-year-old wife of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, will travel to a manor house in the Portuguese countryside for "Journey through Islamic Calligraphy," a women's retreat organized by a group called The Women Sanctuary. Two sessions are scheduled, September 16, 21 and September 25, 30, at a venue in Arcos de Valdevez that the New York Post reported features heated indoor and outdoor pools, landscaped gardens, and pricing that starts at $4,300 for a shared room and runs to $5,260 for a private room with a private bathroom.
The Portugal trip would cap a summer in which Duwaji, a Syrian-American animator, illustrator, and ceramist, has spent more time abroad than most New Yorkers spend on vacation in a decade. She attended her first Women Sanctuary retreat on the Spanish resort island of Mallorca around July 4, while the rest of the country marked America's 250th birthday. Days later, she turned up at a second retreat in Corsica, France, from July 9 to 14, one that honored "the legacy of Mary, the most honored woman in the Quran."
Now she is booked for a third.
Queens City Councilwoman Joann Ariola did not hold back. She told the Post:
"Former first ladies spent their time visiting schools and doing charitable work. Being Zohran Mamdani's wife must be very stressful because this first lady is more interested in vacations than she is in matters that affect New Yorkers."
Former Queens City Councilman Bob Holden was equally direct, calling the travel a window into how the Mamdani administration operates:
"They're acting like jet-setters when they're supposed to be for New Yorkers but they're anything but. She's a good example of the hypocrisy of this administration."
The retreat's own website describes the Portugal program as a mix of Islamic calligraphy workshops led by Duwaji, explorations of "the rich history of Islam in Portugal," picnics, poolside hangouts, walks, and spiritual reflection. One passage promises "a space for suhbah, spiritual reflection, and presence, where hearts can soften, souls can be nourished, and remembrance can arise naturally amidst the beauty of creation."
That language may appeal to attendees willing to pay north of four thousand dollars for a week in the Portuguese countryside. Whether it sits well with New Yorkers who watched their first lady skip Independence Day for a similar retreat in Spain is another question.
Portugal is not the only destination on Duwaji's September calendar. She is also slated to visit Lebanon and Syria, where she has relatives. Both countries sit on the U.S. State Department's "Do Not Travel" list for Americans, the highest warning level, driven by terrorism and civil-conflict concerns.
That planned Middle East trip already produced an embarrassing episode for City Hall. Mamdani's office initially told reporters that an NYPD security detail would accompany Duwaji on the trip. The NYPD flatly denied it. A department spokesperson told Fox News that the department "does not send officers to countries with level 4 travel advisories for discretionary reasons such as personal travel." Scott Munro, president of the NYPD Detectives' Endowment Association, added: "Our detectives are needed here in New York City protecting residents and fighting crime."
Mamdani blamed his own staff for the mix-up, calling it a communication error. The contradiction raised obvious questions about whether anyone at City Hall checked with the police department before making promises on its behalf, or whether the mayor's office simply assumed the NYPD would fall in line.
The NYPD claim was especially awkward given Mamdani's own political history. Before becoming mayor, he called for defunding and dismantling the very department his office expected to provide a taxpayer-funded security escort for his wife's personal overseas travel.
The retreat schedule and the Lebanon-Syria trip are not the only sources of controversy surrounding the first lady. In 2015, Duwaji posted a statement on Tumblr that declared: "American soldiers fighting in imperialist wars are not brave nor are they fighting for anyone's freedom. They are mercilessly slaughtering 3rd world civilians and fighting to maintain American hegemony."
That post resurfaced as Duwaji became a more visible figure in city life. Paired with her decision to spend the July 4 holiday at an overseas Islamic retreat rather than joining celebrations for the nation's 250th birthday, it drew pointed criticism about where her sympathies lie. She followed the Mallorca trip with a luxury retreat in Corsica days later, compounding the impression that European getaways rank higher on her priority list than civic engagement in the city her husband leads.
Mayor Mamdani has defended his wife publicly, arguing she should be free from criticism because she holds no official role in his administration. That defense has limits. First ladies in New York and elsewhere have long been expected, by voters, by the press, and by their own predecessors, to use the platform for charitable work, school visits, and community engagement. Duwaji's visible choices point in a different direction.
The mayor's own record of controversy has not helped his case. His office drew scrutiny over its handling of antisemitic remarks by a Brooklyn Democrat, and Mamdani himself faced backlash from Jewish leaders over inflammatory comments at a Brooklyn rally. Each episode adds another layer to a picture of an administration that struggles with accountability and judgment.
The numbers tell a straightforward story. Since early July, Duwaji has attended or is scheduled to attend three Women Sanctuary retreats across three countries, Spain, France, and now Portugal, plus a personal trip to two nations the State Department warns Americans to avoid entirely. The retreats run thousands of dollars per session. The Portugal venue boasts heated pools, manicured gardens, and the promise of "unhurried moments."
Meanwhile, New York City's eight million residents contend with the same problems they had before Duwaji boarded her first flight to Mallorca: rising costs, public-safety concerns, and an administration that has already shown a pattern of questionable judgment with city resources.
Whether Duwaji holds an official title is beside the point. She holds a public platform, and she has chosen to use it, retreat by retreat, continent by continent, in a way that tells New Yorkers exactly where they rank.
