Mamdani to take oath by placing his hand on Holy Quran

Zohran Mamdani is set to assume office as New York City’s first Muslim mayor, with plans to take the oath of office by placing his hand on the Holy Quran, according to The New York Times.

Mamdani will succeed outgoing Mayor Eric Adams, whose term ends on Wednesday (December 31, local time). The oath-taking ceremony will be held shortly after midnight to mark the beginning of the New Year.

In a break from tradition, the mayor-elect will be sworn in not at City Hall but at a privately arranged and limited-capacity ceremony at the historic Old City Hall Station — a disused underground subway station built during the Gilded Age. The ceremony will be administered by New York Attorney General Letitia James, a close associate of Mamdani and a prominent critic of US President Donald Trump, according to AFP.

Mamdani’s office said the choice of the underground location symbolises his commitment to working-class people who keep the city running every day.

Reports said Mamdani will place his hand on the Holy Quran while taking the oath, underscoring his religious identity and the historic nature of his assumption of office. A second, more formal swearing-in ceremony will be held later on Wednesday on the steps of City Hall, where Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders will administer the oath. The day’s events will conclude with a block party on Broadway.

In a statement, Mamdani said the Old City Hall Station stands as a monument to a city that once “had the courage to be beautiful and to build big things that transformed the lives of working people”. He added that the ceremony was intended to ensure such ambition does not remain confined to history or buried beneath City Hall.

At 34, Mamdani is a Democratic Socialist and a former state assembly member. He won the mayoral election on 4 November, securing 50.8 per cent of the vote to defeat Andrew Cuomo.