{"id":14161,"date":"2026-01-02T18:00:44","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T01:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/zohran-mamdani-officially-sworn-in-on-a-quran-full-of-symbolism\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T19:32:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T19:32:59","slug":"zohran-mamdani-officially-sworn-in-on-a-quran-full-of-symbolism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/zohran-mamdani-officially-sworn-in-on-a-quran-full-of-symbolism\/","title":{"rendered":"Zohran Mamdani officially sworn in on a Quran full of symbolism"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Attorney
Attorney General Letitia James, center, arrives for Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's swearing-in ceremony Dec. 31 in New York. Zohran Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, are shown in the back. (Amir Hamja\/The New York Times via AP)<\/span>Amir Hamja<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

NEW YORK \u2014 Incoming Mayor Zohran Mamdani took his midnight oath of office on a centuries-old Quran, marking the first time a New York City mayor has used Islam\u2019s holy text for the ceremony and underscoring a series of historic firsts for the city.<\/p>\n

The 34-year-old Democrat was sworn in inside a long-closed subway station beneath City Hall, becoming the first Muslim, first South Asian and first African-born person to hold the position.<\/p>\n

These milestones \u2014 along with the historic Quran \u2014 reflect the longstanding and vibrant Muslim community in the nation\u2019s most populous city, according to a scholar who helped Mamdani\u2019s wife, Rama Duwaji, select one of the books.<\/p>\n

Most of Mamdani\u2019s predecessors took the oath on a Bible, although the pledge to uphold the federal, state and city constitutions does not require any religious text.<\/p>\n

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

\"This
This photo provided by The New York Public Library shows the Schomburg Quran on Dec. 16, 2025 in New York. (Jonathan Blanc\/The New York Public Library via AP)<\/span>Jonathan Blanc<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"This
This photo provided by The New York Public Library shows the Schomburg Quran on Dec. 16, 2025 in New York. (Jonathan Blanc\/The New York Public Library via AP)<\/span>Jonathan Blanc<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
A look at the three Qurans Mamdani used<\/div>\n

Two Qurans were used during the subway ceremony: his grandfather\u2019s Quran and a pocket-sized version dating to the late 18th or early 19th century. It is part of the collection at the New York Public Library\u2019s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.<\/p>\n

That copy symbolizes the diversity and reach of the city\u2019s Muslims, said Hiba Abid, the library\u2019s curator for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a small Quran, but it brings together elements of faith and identity in New York City history,\u201d Abid said.<\/p>\n

For a subsequent swearing-in at City Hall on the first day of the year, Mamdani will use both his grandfather\u2019s and grandmother\u2019s Qurans. The campaign hasn\u2019t offered more details on those heirlooms.<\/p>\n

\"Zohran
Zohran Mamdani is sworn in as mayor of New York City at Old City Hall Station, New York, on Jan. 1. (Amir Hamja\/The New York Times via AP)<\/span>Amir Hamja<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
One Quran\u2019s long journey to Mamdani\u2019s hand<\/div>\n

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

Unlike ornate religious manuscripts associated with royalty or elites, the Quran Mamdani used 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 its origin, placing it 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 born in Uganda, while Duwaji is American-Syrian.<\/p>\n

\"Zohran
Zohran Mamdani hugs his wife, Rama Duwaji, after he is sworn in as mayor of New York City at Old City Hall Station, New York, on Jan. 1. (Amir Hamja\/The New York Times via AP)<\/span>Amir Hamja<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Identity and controversy<\/div>\n

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

In an emotional speech 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, 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

Associated Press writers Jake Offenhartz in New York and Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

placed in the late 18th or early 19th century during the Ottoman period<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14162,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28,29],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-14161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-headlines","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14161"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14161\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19360,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14161\/revisions\/19360"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14161"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=14161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}