New York City, New York — Incoming New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani will be sworn into office at midnight using a centuries-old Quran, marking a historic first for the nation’s largest city and highlighting the growing visibility of Muslim communities in local government.
Mamdani, a 34-year-old Democrat, will take his initial oath in a long-closed subway station beneath City Hall, becoming the first Muslim, first South Asian, and first African-born mayor in New York City history. The oath does not require a religious text, but Mamdani chose Qurans that reflect both personal and historical significance. During the midnight ceremony, he will place his hand on his grandfather’s Quran and a small manuscript dating to the late 18th or early 19th century from the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
According to library curator Hiba Abid, the manuscript’s modest design and everyday script symbolize accessibility rather than ceremony, reflecting Islam’s historical presence among ordinary people across Africa and the Middle East. The Quran was collected by Arturo Schomburg, whose archive documents global Black history, linking the artifact to broader themes of identity and migration.
For a second swearing-in ceremony at City Hall on New Year’s Day, Mamdani will use Qurans passed down from both grandparents. His decision has drawn praise from supporters and criticism from some conservatives, echoing past controversies surrounding Muslim officials’ use of Islamic texts in public ceremonies.
After the inauguration, the historic Quran will be placed on public display at the New York Public Library.
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