Incoming New York mayor Zohran Mamdani to take oath on Quran

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Incoming New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani will take his midnight oath of office on a centuries-old Quran during a ceremony set for a long-closed subway station beneath City Hall, according to the Associated Press. The event is scheduled for Dec. 31, with Mamdani becoming mayor at the start of the new year.

AP reported that Mamdani’s oath will also mark multiple historic “firsts” for New York. When he takes office, Mamdani is expected to be the first Muslim, the first South Asian and the first African-born person to serve as mayor of the nation’s largest city.

The Quran selection is tied to an effort to reflect the city’s Muslim communities, AP said, citing Hiba Abid of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the New York Public Library. Abid said the Quran being used in the subway ceremony symbolizes “the diversity and reach” of New York City’s Muslims, and she described the book as connecting faith and identity in the city’s history.

Abid said the specific copy Mamdani will use is modest and meant for ordinary readers rather than ceremonial display. She said, “The importance of this Quran lies not in luxury, but in accessibility,” and that the manuscript’s design—its red binding and plain, readable script—indicates it was intended for everyday use.

During the midnight ceremony, Mamdani will place his hand on two Qurans: his grandfather’s Quran and a pocket-sized volume. AP reported that the pocket-sized Quran dates to the late 18th or early 19th century and is part of the Schomburg Center’s collection, after being acquired by Arturo Schomburg, a Black Puerto Rican historian known for documenting the global contributions of people of African descent.

AP said that the manuscript is undated and unsigned, and that scholars estimate its production period by analyzing its binding and script, placing it in the Ottoman period in a region that includes what is now Syria, Lebanon, Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan. AP also reported that scholars believe the Quran reflected Schomburg’s interest in the historical relationship between Islam and Black cultures in the United States and across Africa.

For a subsequent swearing-in ceremony at City Hall on Jan. 1, Mamdani will use both his grandfather’s and grandmother’s Qurans, AP said. The campaign has not offered further details about those heirlooms, according to the report.

AP also described the political context surrounding the decision to use Islam’s holy text for a civic oath. It said Mamdani, a 34-year-old Democrat, has emphasized affordability during his campaign while speaking publicly about his Muslim faith, including appearing at mosques across the five boroughs as he built support among many first-time South Asian and Muslim voters.

In a speech days before the election, Mamdani said, “I will not change who I am, how I eat, or the faith that I’m proud to call my own,” and, “I will no longer look for myself in the shadows. I will find myself in the light.” AP reported that his campaign framed the hostility he faced as strengthening his resolve to be visible about his faith.

The use of a Quran has also drawn criticism, AP reported. AP said U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama wrote on social media, “The enemy is inside the gates,” in response to news coverage about Mamdani’s inauguration, and that the Council on American-Islamic Relations has designated Tuberville as an anti-Muslim extremist based on his past statements.

AP noted that backlash over Qurans in public oath ceremonies is not new in U.S. politics. It said that in 2006, Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, faced condemnation from conservatives after he chose to use a Quran for his ceremonial oath.

After the inauguration, AP reported that the Quran will go on public display at the New York Public Library, with Abid saying she hopes attention—whether supportive or critical—will prompt more people to explore the library’s collections documenting Islamic life in New York. Abid said the library holds materials ranging from early 20th century Armenian and Arabic music recorded in the city to firsthand accounts of Islamophobia after the Sept. 11 attacks.

“This manuscript was meant to be used by ordinary readers when it was produced,” Abid said. “Today it lives in a public library where anyone can encounter it.”