Rama Duwaji’s Portugal Retreat Organiser Called for Israel’s Abolition

Women Sanctuary advertised the New York mayor’s wife as an artist in residence for its September programme. A September 30 report highlighted the organiser’s earlier calls to abolish Israel.

Women Sanctuary, which advertised New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, as an artist in residence at a September retreat in Portugal, previously called for Israel’s abolition on Instagram. The Washington Free Beacon reported on September 30 that Duwaji was finishing the programme’s second session, bringing the organiser’s political statements into the coverage of her work with the group.

The New York Post had first reported her planned participation on August 29. The retreat has since ended: its final session ran from September 25 to 30. Attendance was reported by the Free Beacon; the advance programme established her advertised role.

Five nights in northern Portugal

The programme, titled Journey Through Islamic Calligraphy, was advertised in two separate sessions, September 16 to 21 and September 25 to 30. Its venue was Paço da Glória, an 18th century manor in the Arcos de Valdevez area of northern Portugal, rather than a hotel in central Porto.

Portuguese outlet 24 Horas described five nights of accommodation, halal meals, prayer, walks and talks about Islamic history in Portugal. Calligrapher Pablo Casado was listed to provide 12 hours of instruction, including preparation of the traditional reed pen, or qalam. Duwaji’s advertised contribution was an illustration workshop.

The New York Post put participant prices at approximately $4,300 for shared accommodation and $5,260 for a private room. Those were guest prices, not a disclosed bill paid by Duwaji. Her compensation and the arrangements for her travel and accommodation were not established in the reporting.

The organiser’s statements about Israel

The Free Beacon drew attention to an October 2025 Women Sanctuary Instagram post that said: “Abolish the colonial apartheid state of Israel. Free Palestine.”

It also identified the group’s use of “from the river to the sea” in May 2024. The phrase refers to the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean, including Israel. Critics understand it as a call to eliminate Israel; the group’s separate abolition statement was explicit about its demand.

A September 2024 prayer asked for Palestinian liberation and for Palestine to be cleansed of tyranny and oppressors. The wording reproduced in the reporting did not explicitly identify Jews as the oppressors. These were the organiser’s statements, not statements attributed to Duwaji in connection with this retreat.

An earlier collaboration in Mallorca

The Portugal programme followed another advertised residency with Women Sanctuary in Mallorca. The organiser promoted Duwaji for ceramic and tile workshops at its Plants of the Qur’an retreat, scheduled for July 1 to 6, 2026.

The New York Post reported in July that she had travelled to Mallorca for the event. That earlier collaboration places the Portugal listing within an existing professional relationship with the retreat organiser.

The New York context

The coverage coincided with a separate debate in New York: Jewish groups criticised Mamdani’s September 29 antisemitism plan for omitting anti-Israel rhetoric, Jewish Week reported.

No published response specifically addressing the Portugal retreat’s connection to these posts was located from Duwaji, the mayor’s office or Women Sanctuary by October 8. Whether the mayor’s office knew about the organiser’s statements remains unanswered in the reporting.