Exclusive | NYC politician funneled thousands of taxpayer dollars to her hubby’s organizations

A liberal City Council member known for anti-Israel remarks funneled more than $149,000 of taxpayer money to various Arab immigrant groups tied to her husband, The Post has learned.

Brooklyn Councilwoman Shahana Hanif (D-39) used her discretionary funding to pay various nonprofits where her husband is involved, including Arab American Association of New York, The Arab American Family Support Center and the New York Immigration Coalition.

And the pro-Palestinian lawmaker increased or decreased the amount she gave away to several groups depending on her husband’s involvement, according to public records.

Hanif’s husband, Abdullah Younus, joined the board of the Arab American Family Support center in 2024, when she donated $35,000 dollars to the group — a $15,000 increase from years prior. In the 2025 fiscal year, she upped the ante again — giving $50,000. 

In 2022, Hanif donated to the Arab American Association while her then-boyfriend Younus was serving on the board, but dropped her funding when he left to join the Family Support Center. 

Neither Hanif nor the Arab American Family Support Center disclosed any conflicts of interest to the New York City Council, according to documents reviewed by The Post. 

Christine Doyle, 56, a retired attorney who lives in Hanif’s district discovered the councilwoman’s suspicious spending patterns after she became frustrated with the council member’s attitude toward her own community members. 

“I don’t think there’s a group of constituents she hasn’t offended,” said Doyle.

“She was completely inaccessible with no physical office for over a year – and then when her office opened she was outright rude to constituents,” she said.

Doyle clarifies she doesn’t have an issue with the mission of the organizations receiving the funds, but the seemingly shady nature of the transactions. 

“It’s like now we’re married, this organization is going to get 50,000 dollars,” Doyle said.

“You don’t do that – and if you do, you tell people you’re doing it. I liked her better when she was single in Gowanus with a cat,” she said.

Hanif has a history of controversy with her own constituents, as she represents neighborhoods with high Jewish populations including Park Slope and Kensington. 

In 2023, she was arrested at a “Ceasefire now rally for Gaza” where protesters chanted anti-Israel slogans and she was one of only two council members to vote against instituting an “End Jewish Hatred Day” in New York. 

Hanif’s team did not respond to requests for comment.