Mamdani Will Be First NYC Mayor To Be Sworn On Quran

Incoming New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani will take his oath of office using the Quran, becoming the first mayor in the city’s history to be sworn in on Islam’s holy book and marking several historic firsts for the nation’s largest city.

The 34-year-old Democrat will assume office shortly after midnight at a long-disused subway station beneath City Hall. With his inauguration, Mamdani will become New York City’s first Muslim mayor, as well as the first South Asian and first African-born individual to hold the post.

Scholars say the choice of the Quran—and the specific copies selected for the ceremony—highlights the deep and longstanding presence of Muslim communities in New York. One academic assisted Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, in choosing one of the historic manuscripts to be used.

While most previous mayors have been sworn in on a Bible, the oath to uphold the US Constitution, New York State Constitution and city charter does not require the use of any religious text.

Throughout his campaign, Mamdani centered his message on the rising cost of living but was also open about his Muslim identity. He regularly visited mosques across the city, mobilizing a coalition that included many first-time South Asian and Muslim voters.

During the subway ceremony, Mamdani will place his hand on two Qurans that once belonged to his grandparents. A third Quran will be used at a later ceremony at City Hall on New Year’s Day. That manuscript, a small pocket-sized copy dating back to the late 18th or early 19th century, is part of the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

The Quran was acquired by Arturo Schomburg, a Black Puerto Rican historian whose collection focused on the global history and contributions of people of African descent. Although it is unclear how Schomburg obtained the manuscript, scholars believe it reflected his interest in the connections between Islam and Black communities in Africa and the Americas.

The manuscript is modest in appearance, lacking elaborate decoration often seen in royal or ceremonial religious texts. Bound in deep red leather with a simple floral design, it is written in black and red ink, suggesting it was intended for regular personal use rather than formal display.

Because the manuscript carries no date or signature, experts analyzed its binding style and script to estimate its origin, placing it in the late Ottoman period in a region encompassing parts of present-day Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan.

Mamdani’s rapid rise as a Muslim democratic socialist has also triggered a wave of Islamophobic commentary, amplified by national attention surrounding the election. Days before the vote, he addressed the backlash in an emotional speech, saying it had strengthened his commitment to publicly embrace his faith.

“I will not change who I am, how I eat, or the faith I am proud to claim,” Mamdani said. “I refuse to remain in the shadows. I choose to stand in the light.”

The decision to use the Quran has drawn renewed criticism from some conservative figures. US Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama posted on social media that “the enemy is inside the gates” in response to news coverage of Mamdani’s inauguration. The Council on American-Islamic Relations has previously identified Tuberville as an anti-Muslim extremist based on past remarks.

Such reactions mirror earlier controversies. In 2006, Keith Ellison—the first Muslim elected to the US Congress—faced similar attacks after using a Quran for his ceremonial oath.

While the Bible is commonly associated with oath-taking in the United States, there is no legal requirement to use any religious text. Former president Theodore Roosevelt did not swear on a Bible, and President Donald Trump did not place his hand on one during his inauguration.

After Mamdani’s swearing-in, the historic Quran will be placed on public display at the New York Public Library.