The incoming mayor took his midnight oath of office using a centuries-old Quran, marking the first time a New York City mayor has sworn in with Islam’s sacred text and highlighting a series of for the city.
The 34-year-old Democrat assumed the mayor’s role in a beneath City Hall, becoming the first Muslim, first South Asian, and first African-born individual to hold the position.
These milestones — along with the historic Quran — reflect the longstanding and vibrant Muslim community in the nation’s most populous city, according to a scholar who helped Mamdani’s wife, select one of the texts.
Most of Mamdani’s predecessors were sworn in on a Bible, though the oath to uphold federal, state, and city constitutions does not require the use of any religious scripture.
While his campaign focused heavily on affordability, Mamdani was vocal about his Muslim faith. He frequently appeared at mosques across the five boroughs as he that included many first-time South Asian and Muslim voters.
An overview of the three Qurans Mamdani used
Two Qurans were set to be used during the subway ceremony: his grandfather’s Quran and a pocket-sized edition dating back to the late 18th or early 19th century. This latter copy is part of the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture collection.
Hiba Abid, the library’s curator for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, noted that this Quran symbolizes the diversity and reach of New York City’s Muslim population.
“It’s a small Quran, but it brings together elements of faith and identity in New York City history,” Abid said.
For a subsequent swearing-in ceremony at City Hall on New Year’s Day, Mamdani will use both his grandfather’s and grandmother’s Qurans. The campaign has not provided additional details about these family heirlooms.
The long journey of one Quran to Mamdani’s hands
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’s unclear how Schomburg obtained the Quran, scholars believe it reflected his interest in the historical relationship between Islam and Black cultures in the U.S. and across Africa.
Unlike ornate religious manuscripts linked to royalty or elites, the Quran Mamdani used has a modest design: a deep red binding with a simple floral medallion, written in black and red ink, and a plain, readable script suggesting it was made for everyday use rather than ceremonial display.
These features indicate the manuscript was intended for ordinary readers, Abid said — a quality she described as central to its meaning.
“The importance of this Quran lies not in luxury, but in accessibility,” she said.
Since the manuscript is undated and unsigned, scholars used its binding and script to estimate its production date, placing it in the late 18th or early 19th century during the Ottoman period in a region covering present-day Syria, Lebanon, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Jordan.
Abid stated that the manuscript’s journey to New York mirrors Mamdani’s own layered background: he is a South Asian New Yorker born in Uganda, while Duwaji is American-Syrian.
Identity and controversy
The meteoric rise of a Muslim democratic socialist also brought a surge of Islamophobic rhetoric, amplified by during the race.
In an days before the election, Mamdani said the hostility had only strengthened his resolve to be open about his faith.
“I will not change who I am, how I eat, or the faith that I’m proud to call my own,” he said. “I will no longer look for myself in the shadows. I will find myself in the light.”
The decision to use a Quran has drawn fresh criticism from some conservatives. U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama posted on social media: “The enemy is inside the gates” in response to a news article about Mamdani’s inauguration. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights group, has labeled Tuberville an anti-Muslim extremist based on his past statements.
Such backlash is not new. In 2006,, the first Muslim elected to Congress, faced condemnation from conservatives after choosing to use a Quran for his ceremonial oath.
Following the inauguration, the Quran will go on public display at the New York Public Library. Abid hopes the attention around the ceremony — whether supportive or critical — will encourage more people to explore the library’s 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.
“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.”
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Associated Press writers Jake Offenhartz in New York and Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed to this report.