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AMERICANALMANAC (Alan Benson) - NYC first lady Rama Duwaji heads to Portugal for third luxury Islamic retreat of 2026 Sat Aug 29 16:50:04 2026

New York City's first lady is set to spend nearly two weeks at a posh Islamic calligraphy retreat in the Portuguese countryside this September, her third European getaway with the same organization this year, while critics say she has shown more interest in overseas travel than in the city her husband governs. Rama Duwaji, the […] The post NYC first lady Rama Duwaji heads to Portugal for third luxury Islamic retreat of 2026 appeared first on American Almanac .

New York City's first lady is set to spend nearly two weeks at a posh Islamic calligraphy retreat in the Portuguese countryside this September, her third European getaway with the same organization this year, while critics say she has shown more interest in overseas travel than in the city her husband governs. Rama Duwaji, the 29-year-old wife of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, will serve as "artist-in-residence" at a "Journey through Islamic Calligraphy" retreat hosted by The Women Sanctuary at a manor house in Arcos de Valdevez, near Porto, Portugal. The retreat runs two sessions, September 16, 21 and September 25, 30, and costs attendees between $4,300 for a shared room and $5,260 for a private room with a private bathroom, the New York Post reported . The manor's amenities include a heated outdoor pool, a heated indoor pool, and landscaped gardens. The retreat's website promises days spent "exploring the rich history of Islam in Portugal" alongside calligraphy workshops, picnics, poolside hangouts, and walks, all wrapped in language about "spiritual reflection" and "suhbah," an Arabic term for spiritual companionship. Three retreats in three months, and a September packed with travel The Portugal trip marks Duwaji's third Women Sanctuary retreat in 2026. She attended the first on the Spanish resort island of Mallorca over the Fourth of July weekend, skipping America's 250th birthday celebration. The second ran July 9, 14 in Corsica, France, honoring what the organization described as "the legacy of Mary, the most honored woman in the Quran." Duwaji is also slated to visit Lebanon and Syria at some point in September, though the specific dates have not been disclosed. Both countries sit on the U.S. State Department's "Do Not Travel" list for Americans. That planned trip already generated its own controversy. City Hall originally stated Duwaji would have an NYPD security detail for the Lebanon and Syria visit, but the NYPD refused to send officers , publicly denying the claim. Mayor Mamdani blamed his own staff for the communication error rather than take responsibility for the mix-up. The episode left the administration looking disorganized at best and dishonest at worst, with the mayor's office making a public promise the police department had never agreed to. The mayor's decision to blame staffers rather than address the substance of the dispute, whether it was appropriate to request a taxpayer-funded police escort to two countries the State Department warns Americans not to visit, drew sharp criticism at the time. Elected officials say Duwaji treats the role like a vacation Queens City Councilwoman Joann Ariola did not hold back in her assessment. 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." Ariola had previously criticized Duwaji's Mallorca trip as well. When that retreat overlapped with the America 250 celebrations, Fox News reported that Ariola said the absence spoke volumes about Duwaji's feelings toward the country. Republican Councilman Frank Morano of Staten Island struck a similar note at the time, saying no one objects to elected officials and their families taking vacations, but that the 250th anniversary "was a moment to show up for the city and for the country, and she missed it." Former Queens City Councilman Bob Holden went further, calling out the broader pattern. He told the Post: "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." Mayor Mamdani has previously defended his wife from criticism, arguing she should be free of scrutiny because she holds no official position in his administration. That defense has not stopped the questions, and it has not slowed Duwaji's travel schedule. A 2015 Tumblr post adds to the pattern The retreat controversy sits against a broader backdrop of questions about Duwaji's views. In a 2015 Tumblr post, she wrote that "American soldiers fighting in imperialist wars are not brave nor are they fighting for anyone's freedom," adding that they are "mercilessly slaughtering 3rd world civilians and fighting to maintain American hegemony." Duwaji, a Syrian-American animator, illustrator, and ceramist, was a private citizen when she wrote those words. But she is no longer a private citizen in any practical sense. She is the wife of the mayor of the largest city in the United States, and her public conduct, including her choice of overseas engagements, reflects on the administration whether Mamdani acknowledges it or not. The Mamdani administration has faced a string of controversies beyond the first lady's travel. A separate ethics complaint has accused the mayor of using city resources to boost Democratic candidates, and Mamdani drew national attention when he pressed city lawyers for a way to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu during a United Nations visit. Duwaji's retreat website describes the Portugal experience in lush terms, days of calligraphy workshops and Islamic history lessons, evenings of reflection, and "unhurried moments" by the pool where "hearts can soften" and "souls can be nourished." The price tag starts at $4,300. New Yorkers dealing with the city's budget pressures, public safety concerns, and a mayor who told them to set their thermostats to 78 degrees during a heat wave might find the contrast hard to miss. The first lady's calendar tells them everything they need to know about this administration's priorities. The post NYC first lady Rama Duwaji heads to Portugal for third luxury Islamic retreat of 2026 appeared first on American Almanac .