Shaun Maguire, a partner at a major venture capital firm, is facing backlash after referring to New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani as an “Islamist” on social media. Maguire’s comments came in response to news that Mamdani had checked boxes indicating his ethnicity as “Asian” and “Black or African American” in his 2009 application to Columbia University. Mamdani, who was born in Uganda to parents of Indian origin, said he sought to represent his complex background and had noted his Ugandan origins in the application.
However, Maguire wrote on X that the news showed Mamdani “comes from a culture that lies about everything” and added, “It’s literally a virtue to lie if it advances his Islamist agenda.”
The comments have drawn criticism from entrepreneurs and others in the tech industry. A petition circulated over the weekend, calling Maguire’s posts “a deliberate, inflammatory attack that promotes dangerous anti-Muslim stereotypes and stokes division.” As of Tuesday, it had garnered more than 700 signatures, including from founders of companies backed by Maguire’s firm and others who received investment from entities that have since been spun off. Hisham Al-Falih of Lean Technologies was among those who criticized Maguire’s post.
“It’s not only a sweeping and harmful generalization of Muslims, but part of a broader pattern of Islamophobic rhetoric that has no place in our industry,” Al-Falih stated. In response to the backlash, an open letter is now circulating in support of Maguire.
Backlash over ‘islamist’ remarks
The letter, which has over 355 signatures from founders, investors, and tech workers, states, “Whether one agrees with his views or not, his words were not hate speech – they were the reflections of a principled thinker and a partner to countless founders who span geographies, faiths, and political beliefs.”
The letter continues, “The calls to punish or remove him are part of a larger and worrying trend: ideological mobbing disguised as a moral virtue. We know Shaun personally. He has helped build careers, fund companies, and elevate voices across divides.
Attempts to paint him as bigoted are not only false – they’re defamatory.”
Maguire expressed gratitude for the support, saying, “I appreciate people supporting me.” He noted that an “unbelievable number of people,” including “many very prominent people,” have reached out to express their support in recent days. Some of the notable figures who appear to have signed the open letter include Jason Finger, founder of Seamless; David Marcus, former president of PayPal; Josh Wolfe, founder of Lux Capital; Moshe Shalev, founder of Decart; and Tom Pachys, founder of EX.CO. Maguire also said he believes he is being targeted for his pro-Israel advocacy.
“I have been one of the most vocal pro-Israel voices the last 18 months, and the pro-Palestine mob saw an opportunity to come after me and they capitalized on it,” he said. He acknowledged making a mistake in not recognizing that most people might not differentiate between “Islamist” and “Islam.”
The controversy highlights an ongoing debate in Silicon Valley over diversity, representation, and the responsibilities of influential investors in fostering inclusive environments. As the situation continues to unfold, Maguire’s firm has declined to comment on the matter.