New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will be sworn in on January 1 with the Quran, the first mayor of New York City to do so.
According to The New York Times, Mamdani is expected to use three Qurans for his public and private ceremonies.
“It’s a highly symbolic choice because we’re about to have a Muslim mayor swearing in using the Quran but also a mayor who was born on the African continent, in Uganda,” Hiba Abid, a library curator from which one of the Qurans is housed, said. “It really brings together here elements of faith, identity and New York history.”
Abid explained to the outlet that she hopes the use of the Quran will “allow New Yorkers to learn more about the Quran itself and Muslim life in the city,” The Times reports.
“This moment will mark a turning point in the civic history of New York City, and it belongs to every New Yorker whose lives shaped this city quietly, without ever being reflected back to them,” Abid said.
Mamdani is set to be sworn in by Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) during the public ceremony. He will also be officially be sworn in by New York State Attorney General Letitia James. “It is an honor to be sworn in by two leaders I have admired for years: Attorney General Tish James and Senator Bernie Sanders,” Mamdani said of Sanders and James. “I can think of no better leaders to help usher in a new era for New York City.”
