{"id":85839,"date":"2025-12-31T19:40:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T19:40:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/85839\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T19:40:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T19:40:07","slug":"zohran-mamdani-will-be-sworn-in-as-mayor-on-a-quran-a-first-in-new-york-city-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/85839\/","title":{"rendered":"Zohran Mamdani will be sworn in as mayor on a Quran, a first in New York City history"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK \u2013 Incoming Mayor Zohran Mamdani<\/a> will take his oath of office on a centuries-old Quran, marking the first time a mayor of New York City has used Islam\u2019s holy text to be sworn in and underscoring a series of historic firsts<\/a> for the city.<\/p>\n

When the 34-year-old Democrat becomes mayor shortly after midnight in a long-closed subway station<\/a> beneath City Hall, he’ll be the first Muslim, first South Asian and first African-born person to hold that position. <\/p>\n

These milestones \u2014 as well as the historical Qurans he will use for the ceremony \u2014 reflect the longstanding and vibrant Muslim population in the nation’s most populous city, according to a scholar who helped Mamdani\u2019s wife, Rama Duwaji<\/a>, select one of the books.<\/p>\n

Most of Mamdani’s predecessors were sworn in on a Bible, although the oath to uphold the federal, state and city constitutions does not require the use of any religious text.<\/p>\n

And while he has focused heavily on the issue of affordability during his campaign, Mamdani was outspoken about his Muslim faith. He frequently appeared at mosques across the five boroughs as he built a base of support<\/a> that included many first-time South Asian and Muslim voters. <\/p>\n

A look at the Quran Mamdani will use<\/p>\n

Mamdani will place his hand on two Qurans during the subway ceremony, and a third during a subsequent ceremony at City Hall on the first day of the year. Two belonged to his grandfather and grandmother. The third is a pocket-sized manuscript dating to the late 18th or early 19th century that is part of the New York Public Library\u2019s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture collection.<\/p>\n

That Quran symbolizes the diversity and reach of the city’s Muslims, said Hiba Abid, curator for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the New York Public Library. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a small Quran, but it brings together elements of faith and identity in New York City history,\u201d Abid said. The campaign hasn’t offered more details on the ones from Mamdani’s grandparents. <\/p>\n

The history of this specific Quran<\/p>\n

The manuscript was acquired by Arturo Schomburg, a Black Puerto Rican historian whose collection documented the global contributions of people of African descent. While it is unclear how Schomburg came into possession of the Quran, scholars believe it reflected his interest in the historical relationship between Islam and Black cultures in the United States and across Africa.<\/p>\n

Unlike ornate religious manuscripts associated with royalty or elites, the copy of the Quran that Mamdani will use is modest in design. It has a deep red binding with a simple floral medallion and is written in black and red ink. The script is plain and readable, suggesting it was created for everyday use rather than ceremonial display.<\/p>\n

Those features indicate the manuscript was intended for ordinary readers, Abid said, a quality she described as central to its meaning.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe importance of this Quran lies not in luxury, but in accessibility,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Because the manuscript is undated and unsigned, scholars relied on its binding and script to estimate when it was produced, placing it sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century during the Ottoman period in a region that includes what is now Syria, Lebanon, Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan.<\/p>\n

Abid said the manuscript\u2019s journey to New York mirrors Mamdani\u2019s own layered background. Mamdani is a South Asian New Yorker who was born in Uganda, while Duwaji is American-Syrian.<\/p>\n

Identity and controversy<\/p>\n

The meteoric rise of a Muslim democratic socialist also brought a surge of Islamophobic rhetoric, amplified by national attention<\/a> on the race.<\/p>\n

In an emotional speech<\/a> days before the election, Mamdani said the hostility had only strengthened his resolve to be visible about his faith.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will not change who I am, how I eat, or the faith that I\u2019m proud to call my own,\u201d he said. \u201cI will no longer look for myself in the shadows. I will find myself in the light.\u201d<\/p>\n

The decision to use a Quran has drawn fresh criticism from some conservatives. U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama wrote on social media, \u201cThe enemy is inside the gates,\u201d in response to a news article about Mamdani\u2019s inauguration. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil-rights group, has designated Tuberville as an anti-Muslim extremist based on past statements.<\/p>\n

Such backlash is not new. In 2006, Keith Ellison<\/a>, the first Muslim elected to Congress, faced condemnation from conservatives after he chose to use a Quran for his ceremonial oath.<\/p>\n

Following the inauguration, the Quran will go on public display at the New York Public Library. Abid said she hopes attention surrounding the ceremony \u2014 whether supportive or critical \u2014 will prompt more people to explore the library\u2019s collections documenting Islamic life in New York, ranging from early 20th century Armenian and Arabic music recorded in the city to firsthand accounts of Islamophobia after the Sept. 11 attacks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis manuscript was meant to be used by ordinary readers when it was produced,\u201d Abid said. \u201cToday it lives in a public library where anyone can encounter it.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Associated Press writers Jake Offenhartz in New York and Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed. <\/p>\n

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW YORK \u2013 Incoming Mayor Zohran Mamdani will take his oath of office on a centuries-old Quran, marking…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":85840,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[41718,37649,41719,232,9,24,55,54,56,14509,7675,19573,421,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-85839","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-city","8":"tag-arturo-schomburg","9":"tag-ethnicity","10":"tag-keith-ellison","11":"tag-lifestyle","12":"tag-new-york","13":"tag-new-york-city","14":"tag-new-york-city-headlines","15":"tag-new-york-city-news","16":"tag-ny","17":"tag-race","18":"tag-religion","19":"tag-tommy-tuberville","20":"tag-u-s-news","21":"tag-zohran-mamdani"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85839","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85839"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85839\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}