Zohran Mamdani, New York’s first Muslim Mayor, will use Quran for swearing in

According to The New York Times, during both of his swearing-in ceremonies, he will put his hand on the Quran, Islam’s holiest book, making him the first mayor in New York City to do so.

Mamdani is expected to use at least three unique Qurans for his swearing-in ceremonies, according to a senior adviser, Zara Rahim. For his midnight swearing-in ceremony, he will use his grandfather’s Quran and one that belonged to Arturo Schomburg, the Black writer and historian. It will be lent to the mayor by the New York Public Library.

For his daytime ceremony at City Hall, he will use his grandfather’s and at least one other family Quran.

Mamdani will take his initial oath at the former City Hall subway station in Manhattan — one of the city’s original stops on its subterranean transit system, known for its tiled arches and vaulted ceilings.

The old City Hall stop was designed as the flagship station of the city’s first subway line, but was decommissioned in 1945. These days, outside of occasional guided historical tours, locals can usually only catch a glimpse of it by staying on the 6 train after its last stop downtown when it turns around to head north.

In a statement, Mamdani’s office said the choice to be sworn in at the station reflected his “commitment to the working people who keep our city running every day.”

“When Old City Hall Station first opened in 1904 — one of New York’s 28 original subway stations — it was a physical monument to a city that dared to be both beautiful and build great things that would transform working peoples’ lives,” Mamdani said.

“That ambition need not be a memory confined only to our past, nor must it be isolated only to the tunnels beneath City Hall: it will be the purpose of the administration fortunate enough to serve New Yorkers from the building above,” he said.

Bernie Sanders to administer second oath

On Thursday afternoon, Mamdani will be sworn in again, this time by US Senator Bernie Sanders, one of his political heroes, on the steps of City Hall in a ceremony scheduled to kick off at 1 pm.

US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, another political ally, will deliver opening remarks. The public swearing-in will be accompanied by a block party along a stretch of Broadway leading up to City Hall.