Zohran Mamdani has been sworn in as the new mayor of New York City, making history as the city’s first Muslim and South Asian leader and the first NYC mayor to take the oath of office on a Quran. A prominent democratic socialist, he chose a decommissioned subway station for his midnight ceremony, underscoring his focus on workers, public services, and a more egalitarian vision for the city.
Historic oath on the Quran
Zohran Mamdani formally took the oath of office just after midnight at a decommissioned subway station in Manhattan, becoming the first New York City mayor to be sworn in on a Quran. He used multiple Qurans with deep personal and historical meaning, including one belonging to his grandfather and another from the New York Public Library’s collection associated with Afro-Puerto Rican historian Arturo Schomburg.
By choosing the Quran rather than a Bible, Mamdani not only marked a personal religious milestone but also sent a broader message about religious diversity and inclusion in America’s largest city. The symbolism of a Muslim mayor taking the oath on Islam’s holy book in the city most associated with the trauma of 9/11 has been described as a powerful marker of how New York’s identity continues to evolve.
First Muslim and socialist NYC mayor
Mamdani’s inauguration makes him the first Muslim mayor of New York City and the first South Asian to hold the office, reflecting the changing demographics and political currents of the city. At 34, the Ugandan-born, Indian-origin politician also represents a younger generation of leadership, shaped by immigrant experience, progressive organizing, and movements for racial and economic justice.
Politically, Mamdani is identified as a democratic socialist, having campaigned on policies such as rent freezes, expanded public transit access, city-run grocery stores, and free childcare and buses. His victory is widely seen as a breakthrough for the American left, cementing the influence of socialist ideas inside the Democratic Party in one of the world’s most visible cities.
Why the subway ceremony matters
Instead of the traditional City Hall steps, Mamdani held his private swearing-in at the historic City Hall subway station, a now-decommissioned Gilded Age stop beneath lower Manhattan. The ornate, closed station has long been a hidden icon of New York’s transit history, and using it as the venue allowed Mamdani to highlight the often invisible workers who keep the city running.
Reports note that the ceremony was led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, with a second, public oath and block party planned later at City Hall, featuring Senator Bernie Sanders. Holding one ceremony underground with transit workers and another above ground for the broader public encapsulates Mamdani’s promise to center working-class New Yorkers in his administration.
Reactions and significance
Mamdani’s rise from state-level politics and grassroots organizing to the mayorship of New York has drawn global attention, especially in South Asia and among diaspora communities. Indian and Ugandan media have highlighted his roots as the son of Indian filmmaker Mira Nair and Ugandan scholar Mahmood Mamdani, framing his victory as a landmark for immigrants and their children.
Civil rights and Muslim advocacy groups have hailed his Quran-centered inauguration as a milestone for religious freedom and representation, while critics on the right have attacked his socialist platform and past pro-Palestinian activism. Still, for many New Yorkers, his swearing-in marks a new chapter in the city’s political story: a test of whether a proudly socialist, Muslim mayor can deliver on promises of affordability, safety, and opportunity in one of the world’s most unequal cities.
