New York's first Muslim mayor takes oath on Quran

Mamdani taking the oath. Photo: nytimes

On January 1, 2026, 34-year-old Democrat Zohran Mamdani took office as the mayor of New York City, becoming the first Muslim, the first representative of South Asia, and the first native of Africa to hold this position. The ceremony took place shortly after midnight at a closed subway station under the city hall building.

Mamdani placed his hand on two Qurans during the subway ceremony and on another one during the public ceremony at the city hall. The two copies belonged to his grandfather and grandmother, and the third is a late 18th to early 19th-century manuscript from the Schomburg Center's collection of the New York Public Library.

According to the library's curator, Hiba Abid, this Quran symbolizes the diversity and scale of the city's Muslim community. In his election campaign, Mamdani promised to create a universal childcare system, freeze rent, and make buses free.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that for the first time, a Muslim was elected as the mayor of New York City in the USA.

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