New York Mayor Takes Oath with Hand on Quran

(Patria) - Zohran Mamdani took the oath just before midnight on January 1 as mayor of New York, becoming the first Muslim to lead the largest American city after swearing in on the Quran.

The ceremony was held at the abandoned Old City Hall subway station, one of the city's original stations built in 1904, which has been out of service since 1945.

New York Attorney General Letitia James administered the oath alongside Mamdani's family before a public ceremony on Thursday afternoon to be led by Senator Bernie Sanders.

At least 4,000 people are expected to attend the public ceremony. Mamdani, according to media reports, plans to use two copies of the Quran that belonged to his grandfather and grandmother for the daily ceremony at New York City Hall on Friday.

- This is truly an honor and a privilege of a lifetime - Mamdani said moments after taking the oath.

According to several American media outlets, among the Qurans used during last night's ceremony was a copy that belonged to Mamdani's grandfather and another once owned by black writer and historian Arthur Schomburg, which was borrowed from the New York Public Library.

Mamdani, 34, is also the first person born in Africa to serve as mayor of New York. He was born in Uganda to parents of Indian immigrants.

He won the mayoral election on November 4, defeating former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliva, a historic victory for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

A democratic socialist, Mamdani ran a campaign focused on affordability and expanding social services, promising free buses, universal childcare, city-run grocery stores, expansion of rent-stabilized housing, and raising the minimum wage to $30 per hour by 2030.