Fact Check: Did Rama Duwaji 'Skip' America 250 to Attend an Islamic Retreat in Mallorca?

What was claimed: One America News (citing the New York Post) reported that Rama Duwaji, the wife of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, flew to Mallorca, Spain to attend an Islamic “spiritual wellness” retreat run by The Women’s Sanctuary during the America 250 weekend — and characterized the trip as her ‘skipping’ America 250 celebrations. The article also highlighted criticism from Republican officials and social‑media commentary. What the primary record shows: The Women’s Sanctuary’s own event listings identify a Plants Of The Quran retreat in Mallorca dated July 1–6, 2026 and explicitly name Rama Duwaji as Artist‑in‑Residence for that program (the page also marks the retreat 'Sold out'). That listing is a primary source confirming the retreat dates, the program and Duwaji’s formal role with the event. (See evidence below.) Contemporaneous reporting: Multiple news outlets (including Fox News and international outlets) published accounts saying Duwaji was photographed at a Newark airport gate before boarding a flight to Palma, Mallorca, and that Mayor Mamdani remained in New York to participate in America 250 events. Those reports trace back to the New York Post’s reporting and to social posts that circulated photos of Duwaji at the gate. What is supported and what is not: The factual core — that Duwaji was scheduled to be in Mallorca as Artist‑in‑Residence for the July 1–6 Plants Of The Quran retreat and that she travelled around the July 4 weekend while her husband stayed in New York — is supported by the retreat’s official listing and by multiple news reports. What is not supported by the readily available evidence is the stronger implication that she intentionally “snubbed” America 250 civic obligations, or that she rejected a specific invitation to an official America 250 event. News coverage and the organizer’s page show a booked, paid private retreat with a named role for Duwaji; they do not show any official schedule or invitation that she declined. Why the OAN framing is misleading: OAN’s headline and narrative present the travel as a politicized act of neglect toward a high‑profile civic milestone. That rhetoric amplifies partisan criticism but goes beyond what primary sources demonstrate. Absent proof that Duwaji had an official obligation tied to the city’s America 250 events or that she canceled such a duty, describing the trip as a deliberate “skipping” of civic obligations frames the personal travel as a civic affront rather than reporting the narrower verifiable facts. What readers should understand: - The Women’s Sanctuary listing is the strongest primary source here: it names Duwaji as Artist‑in‑Residence and gives exact dates (July 1–6, 2026). - Multiple outlets report she was photographed at an airport gate before a flight to Palma; those images were shared publicly by commentators and then cited in reporting. - The mayor’s participation in America 250 events while his spouse was traveling is documented by press coverage; but there is no public evidence that Duwaji had a binding official duty she abandoned. - The piece’s political tone and the choice of words like 'skips' and 'ditches' turn a supported factual claim (she traveled) into a charged insinuation (she willfully snubbed national celebrations), which is why the article’s presentation is misleading even though the travel itself is real. Bottom line: The underlying travel and the retreat engagement are verifiable and accurate; the outlet’s framing that she ‘skipped’ America 250 as a political slight is an interpretive leap not directly supported by the primary evidence available to the public.