Zohran Mamdani to be sworn in as mayor for first time in New York City history

incoming mayor Zoran Mamdani Will be sworn in in a centuries-old church Quranmarking the first time as mayor New York Manchester City took the oath of office using Islamic holy texts and highlighted a series of historic firsts for the city.

When the 34-year-old Democrat becomes mayor shortly after midnight in a long-closed subway station below City Hall, he will be the first Muslim, first South Asian and first African-born person to hold the office.

An academic who helped Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, choose one of the books said the milestones and the historical Qur’an he will use at the ceremony reflect the long-standing and vibrant Muslim population in the country’s most populous city.

Most of Mamdani’s predecessors were sworn in on a Bible, although the oath to uphold the federal, state and municipal constitutions does not require the use of any religious text.

Although Mamdani focused on affordability issues during his campaign, he has remained outspoken about his Muslim faith. He regularly appeared at mosques across the five boroughs, building a support base that included many South Asian and Muslim voters who were voting for the first time.

Look at the Quran, Mamdani will use

Mamdani will place his hands on two Qurans during the subway ceremony and on a third Quran during a subsequent ceremony at City Hall on the first day of the year. Two of them belonged to his grandfather and grandmother. The third is a miniature manuscript dating to the late 18th or early 19th century and is part of the collection of the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for the Study of Black Culture.

Sheba Abed, curator of Middle Eastern and Islamic studies at the New York Public Library, said the Quran symbolizes the diversity and influence of Muslims in the city.

“It’s a small Quran, but it brings together elements of faith and identity new york city Abed said. The campaign did not provide further details about Mamdani’s grandfather.

The history of this particular Quran

The manuscript was acquired by Arturo Schomburg, a black Puerto Rican historian whose collection documents the global contributions of people of African descent. While it’s unclear how Schomburg came into possession of the Qur’an, scholars believe it reflected his interest in the historical relationship between Islam and black culture in the United States and throughout Africa.

Unlike the ornate religious manuscripts associated with royalty or the elite, the copy of the Quran that Mamdani would use was plain in design. It is bound in crimson with a simple floral emblem and written in black and red ink. The script is simple and easy to read, indicating that it was created for everyday use rather than ceremonial display.

Abed says these characteristics indicate that the manuscript was intended for a general audience, a quality she describes as central to the manuscript’s meaning.

“The importance of this Quran is not about luxury but accessibility,” she said.

Because the manuscript is undated and unsigned, scholars have estimated its production based on its binding and text, placing it somewhere in the late 18th or early 19th century during the Ottoman Empire, a region that includes present-day Syria, Lebanon, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Jordan.

Abed said the manuscript’s journey to New York reflected Mamdani’s own layered background. Mamdani is a South Asian New Yorker born in Uganda, while Duwaji is a Syrian American.

Identity and Controversy

The meteoric rise of Muslim democratic socialists has also brought about a surge in Islamophobic rhetoric, fueled by a national focus on race.

In an emotional speech just days before the election, Mamdani said the hostility had only strengthened his determination to speak out about his beliefs.

“I’m not going to change who I am, the way I eat, or what I’m proud to call my beliefs,” he said. “I will no longer look for myself in the shadows. I will find myself in the light.”

The decision to use the Quran has drawn new criticism from some conservatives. “The enemy is within the gates,” Alabama U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville wrote on social media in response to news reports about Mamdani’s inauguration. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights group, identified Tuberville as an anti-Muslim extremist based on past statements.

This backlash is not new. 2006, Keith EllisonThe first Muslim elected to Congress has been condemned by conservatives after choosing to use the Quran for his swearing-in ceremony.

Following the inauguration, the Quran will be on public display at the New York Public Library. Abed said she hopes the attention surrounding the ceremony — both supportive and critical — will prompt more people to explore the library’s collections documenting Islamic life in New York, from Armenian and Arabic music recorded in the city in the early 20th century to first-hand accounts of Islamophobia following the Sept. 11 attacks.

“This manuscript was produced with the intention of being used by a general audience,” Abed said. “Now it’s in a public library where anyone can encounter it.”

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Associated Press writers Jake Offenhartz in New York and Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed.