Zohran Mamdani, who took office as New York City’s new mayor at the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1, swore his oath on a Quran marked by what supporters described as symbolism tied to the city’s Muslim history. The ceremony also landed amid a series of personal firsts: Mamdani became the city’s first Muslim mayor, its first South Asian mayor and its first African-born mayor.
The midnight oath took place in a long-closed subway station beneath City Hall, the AP reported, as Mamdani took office at age 34. AP also reported that the oath’s religious text choice highlighted a distinction from the legal substance of the position: the oath is to uphold the federal, state and city constitutions, which AP said does not require the use of any religious text.
AP reported that the campaign and advisers framed the Quran choice as connected to New York’s Muslim community and heritage. It said Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, worked with a scholar to select one of the Qurans used in the subway ceremony, and that Hiba Abid—described by AP as the New York Public Library’s curator for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies—spoke about what the specific book represents.
Abid said the pocket-sized Quran, drawn from the library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture collection, “brings together elements of faith and identity in New York City history.” She also said, “It’s a small Quran, but it brings together elements of faith and identity in New York City history,” and described it as symbolizing “the diversity and reach of the city’s Muslims.” AP added that Abid characterized the meaning of the manuscript as tied to its design for everyday use.
For the subway ceremony, AP reported that Mamdani used two Qurans: his grandfather’s Quran and a pocket-sized copy dated by scholars to the late 18th or early 19th century. According to AP, the copy is undated and unsigned, and scholars estimated the production period based on 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 reported that Abid and scholars described the manuscript as modest rather than ornate. It said the Quran has a deep red binding, a simple floral medallion, and text written in black and red ink, with plain and readable script suggesting it was created for ordinary readers rather than for ceremonial display or elite patronage. AP also reported that Abid said, “The importance of this Quran lies not in luxury, but in accessibility.”
AP traced the pocket-sized Quran’s documented connection to Arturo Schomburg, a Black Puerto Rican historian whose collection included material documenting global contributions of people of African descent. AP said that while it was unclear how Schomburg came into possession of the Quran, scholars believe it aligned with his interest in the historical relationship between Islam and Black cultures in the United States and across Africa. Abid, AP reported, said the manuscript’s journey to New York mirrors Mamdani’s and Duwaji’s backgrounds, describing Mamdani as a South Asian New Yorker born in Uganda and Duwaji as American-Syrian.
Ahead of the next ceremonial oath at City Hall on the first day of the year, AP reported that Mamdani’s campaign said it would use both his grandfather’s and grandmother’s Qurans, though it had not provided additional details about the heirlooms. AP also reported that after the inauguration, the Quran would go on public display at the New York Public Library, with Abid saying she hoped the attention—whether supportive or critical—would encourage more people to explore the library’s broader collections documenting Islamic life in the city, including material ranging from early 20th century Armenian and Arabic music recordings to accounts of Islamophobia after Sept. 11.
AP said the symbolism of a Quran oath was met with backlash and criticism from some conservatives. It cited U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, who wrote on social media, “The enemy is inside the gates,” in response to a news article about Mamdani’s inauguration, and it said CAIR has designated Tuberville as an anti-Muslim extremist based on his past statements.
AP also reported that Mamdani’s rise as a Muslim democratic socialist helped fuel Islamophobic rhetoric that came with increased national attention on his race. AP said Mamdani addressed that hostility in a speech days before the election, telling supporters, “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.”
The AP report also placed the controversy in context with prior moments of debate over the use of religious texts for ceremonial oaths. AP noted 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.