Incoming Mayor Zohran Mamdani will take his oath of office on a centuries-old Quran, marking the first time a Mayor of New York City has used Islam’s holy text to be sworn in and underscoring a series of historic firsts for the city.
When the 34-year-old Democrat becomes Mayor shortly after midnight in a long-closed subway station beneath City Hall, he'll be the first Muslim, first South Asian and first African-born person to hold that position.
These milestones — as well as the historical Qurans he will use for the ceremony — reflect the longstanding and vibrant Muslim population in the nation's most populous city, according to a scholar who helped Mr. Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, select one of the books.
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Most of Mr. 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.
