By: Hal C Clarke

Mayor Eric Adams launched a sharp rebuke of mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani this weekend, blasting the Democrat’s past advocacy for decriminalizing prostitution and questioning how the self-described man of faith could defend such a stance.

Speaking to reporters Sunday, Adams framed the issue in moral and religious terms. “I can’t be more clear. I’m a man of God, just as Mamdani says he’s a Muslim. I don’t know where in his Quran it states that it’s okay for a woman to be on the streets selling their body,” Adams said. “I don’t know what Quran he is reading. It’s not in my Bible.”

As the New York Post first reported, Mamdani, a 33-year-old socialist from Queens, has repeatedly pushed to remove criminal penalties for sex work since his initial run for state assembly in 2020. While he has remained largely quiet on the subject during his mayoral campaign, critics fear he could make a sudden legislative push if elected this fall.

Adams warned that such a move would be dangerous. “I think he’s lost on the fact that sex trafficking is very much part of prostitution,” the mayor said, according to the Post. “We are trying to bring down crime and he is talking about legalizing sex work. No one should be on our streets selling their bodies. No one.”

Supporters of decriminalization often argue that legalized sex work would reduce exploitation and protect workers from violence. But the New York Post noted that studies in places where prostitution has been legalized, such as parts of Nevada and certain European countries, have found spikes in human trafficking and organized crime surrounding the industry.

Mamdani has co-sponsored several bills in Albany aimed at legalizing prostitution statewide. Though as mayor he would lack direct authority to change state law, he could use City Hall’s platform to push for it—and potentially direct the NYPD to deprioritize prostitution enforcement. That possibility has raised alarms among opponents who fear New York could follow the path of Amsterdam and become a global hub for sex tourism.

Adams, who is seeking reelection as an independent, said such a future would threaten public safety. “If that is his belief, it is a danger for our city,” Adams told reporters. “Our city needs to be a safe city. It should not be a city where women are standing on corners, or boys are standing on corners, or young men standing on corners selling their bodies.”

Mamdani’s campaign fired back at Adams but did not directly clarify whether the candidate still supports decriminalization. In a statement to the Post, a spokesperson accused Adams of undermining support for vulnerable communities. “Mayor Adams’ reckless budget cut over $3 million in funding from Safe Horizon, putting thousands of victims of crimes related to sex trafficking and prostitution in harm’s way,” the spokesperson said. The campaign added that Mamdani, if elected, would dedicate $40 million through a new Department of Community Safety to fund services for victims of exploitation.

As the New York Post report emphasized, Adams’ remarks underscore how the debate over prostitution has now become a defining flashpoint in the city’s upcoming mayoral race.