(Christian Information Community) — Zohran Mamdani was sworn in Thursday as Mayor of New York Metropolis, changing into the primary mayor within the metropolis’s historical past to take the oath of workplace on the Quran, in addition to the primary self‑figuring out Muslim and first South Asian particular person to carry the place.
The personal swearing‑in ceremony occurred simply after midnight in a decommissioned subway station beneath Metropolis Corridor. Departing from the longstanding custom of utilizing the Bible, Mamdani positioned his hand on a number of copies of the Quran—one belonging to his grandfather and one other historic quantity on mortgage from the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Middle for Analysis in Black Tradition. A bigger public inauguration ceremony is scheduled for later Friday at Metropolis Corridor.
New York regulation doesn’t require using a spiritual textual content when administering the oath of workplace. Nonetheless, Mamdani’s alternative marked a notable departure from the Bible‑centered customs which have accompanied civic ceremonies all through a lot of the nation’s historical past.
Historic Quran Utilized in Ceremony
The historic Quran used within the personal ceremony is believed to this point to the late 18th or early nineteenth century and was beforehand a part of the private assortment of Arturo Schomburg, a scholar of the Harlem Renaissance whose work documented the contributions of individuals of African descent. Library officers characterised the textual content as a modest, utilitarian quantity relatively than a ceremonial artifact.
The library’s involvement drew consideration to the truth that public establishments are more and more highlighting spiritual symbols past the standard Christian liturgical context in civic occasions.
Marketing campaign Background and Political Positions
Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist and former member of the New York State Meeting, emphasised housing reform, immigration coverage, and opposition to what he described as systemic discrimination throughout his marketing campaign. He steadily referenced Islamophobia in New York following the September 11 assaults and highlighted his identification in outreach to immigrant and minority communities.
His coverage positions have drawn controversy, together with vocal criticism of Israel’s navy actions in Gaza, which has raised concern amongst Jewish leaders and a few Christian supporters of Israel. Nationwide Republican figures additionally criticized his ideology, although a few of these critiques had been condemned for inflammatory language.
Statements on Religion and Identification
Through the marketing campaign, Mamdani acknowledged he wouldn’t change his private beliefs upon assuming workplace, saying, “I can’t change who I’m, how I eat, or the religion that I’m proud to name my very own.”
Earlier mayors of New York Metropolis, together with Michael Bloomberg and Eric Adams, used household Bibles throughout their oath ceremonies. Mamdani joins a small variety of U.S. officers who’ve chosen to be sworn in utilizing the Quran, a choice that has drawn each assist and criticism throughout the political spectrum.
His inauguration comes amid ongoing nationwide debate over the function of faith in public life and the cultural route of America’s largest metropolis.
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