In a ceremony rich with symbolism, Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as the new Mayor of New York City at the stroke of midnight on Thursday 1 January 2026. The event was historic, not only for its unconventional location in a long-closed subway station beneath City Hall but because Mamdani took his oath of office on a Quran—a first for the city.
A Ceremony of Historic Firsts
The 34-year-old Democrat’s inauguration marks a series of groundbreaking milestones. Mamdani is now the first Muslim, first South Asian, and first African-born person to hold the office of New York City Mayor. While most of his predecessors used a Bible, the oath to uphold the constitutions does not mandate any religious text, making his choice a powerful personal and cultural statement.
During his campaign, Mamdani was vocal about his Muslim faith, frequently appearing at mosques across the city’s five boroughs. This outreach helped him build a coalition that included many first-time South Asian and Muslim voters, even as he centred his platform on the critical issue of affordability.
The Symbolic Qurans: From Family Heirlooms to Public Archive
The subway ceremony featured two Qurans. One was a personal copy belonging to his grandfather. The other was a pocket-sized manuscript from the late 18th or early 19th century, part of the collection at the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
Hiba Abid, the library’s curator for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, explained the smaller Quran’s significance. “It’s a small Quran, but it brings together elements of faith and identity in New York City history,” she said. Its modest design—a deep red binding with a simple floral medallion and plain, readable script—suggests it was made for everyday use, not ceremony. “The importance of this Quran lies not in luxury, but in accessibility,” Abid noted.
Scholars believe the manuscript, from the Ottoman period in a region encompassing modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and Jordan, was acquired by Arturo Schomburg, a Black Puerto Rican historian. Its journey to New York mirrors Mamdani’s own layered identity as a South Asian New Yorker born in Uganda, whose wife, Rama Duwaji, is American-Syrian.
Backlash and a Resolute Response
The meteoric rise of a Muslim democratic socialist mayor inevitably attracted a surge of Islamophobic rhetoric. In an emotional pre-election speech, Mamdani addressed the hostility directly. “I will not change who I am, how I eat, or the faith that I’m proud to call my own,” he declared. “I will no longer look for myself in the shadows. I will find myself in the light.”
Following the inauguration, criticism emerged from some conservative figures. U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama wrote on social media, “The enemy is inside the gates,” in response to news of the ceremony. The Council on American-Islamic Relations has previously designated Tuberville as an anti-Muslim extremist. This backlash echoes the condemnation faced by Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, when he used a Quran for his ceremonial oath in 2006.
After the ceremonies, the historic Quran will return to public view at the New York Public Library. Abid hopes the attention, whether supportive or critical, will drive more people to explore the library’s collections documenting Islamic life in New York.
“This manuscript was meant to be used by ordinary readers when it was produced,” Abid concluded. “Today it lives in a public library where anyone can encounter it.”
