In recent months, Tucker Carlson has crossed a line that should concern every serious observer of American politics, faith, and culture.

In a viral video making the rounds on X, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his staff are seen sprawled on ornate prayer rugs across the floor of a government office, American flag waving in the background, prostrating themselves in Islamic prayer before breaking the Ramadan fast with plates of food. They sit cross-legged like it’s the most natural thing in the world for public officials in the nation’s largest city.

When a retired military officer disappears from public view, it usually passes without much notice.

For nearly half a century, Iran’s Islamic Republic has been ruled by a clerical elite claiming divine authority over the state.