New York City is poised to witness a historic moment in its civic life as Zohran Mamdani prepares to take the oath of office on January 1, 2026. His inauguration will mark a series of unprecedented firsts, introducing a millennial, South Asian, and Muslim leader to the city's highest office. Mamdani will become New York City's first Muslim mayor and the first to swear his oath on the Quran.
A Ceremony of Symbolism and History
The inauguration will unfold in two distinct parts, blending deep personal faith with the city's rich, layered history. A private swearing-in is scheduled for midnight in a unique location: a disused subway station beneath City Hall. This will be followed later on New Year's Day by a public ceremony on the steps of City Hall itself.
During both events, Mamdani will place his hand on the Quran, Islam's holy text. According to his senior adviser, Zara Rahim, he plans to use at least three different Qurans across the ceremonies. For the private midnight event, he will use his grandfather's Quran alongside a historically significant text: the Quran that once belonged to Arturo Schomburg, the renowned Black Afro-Latino intellectual. The New York Public Library has loaned the Schomburg Quran for this purpose.
For the public ceremony, Mamdani will use Qurans that belonged to both his grandfather and his grandmother, weaving his family's personal heritage into the official act.
The Schomburg Quran: Bridging Faith and Black History
The inclusion of Arturo Schomburg's Quran is a powerfully symbolic choice. Schomburg, though not Muslim, collected the text as part of his lifelong mission to document the full breadth of Black cultural, artistic, and religious life. His collection of over 4,000 items was sold to the New York Public Library in 1926, forming the foundation of what is now the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
Hiba Abid, curator for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the library, highlighted the resonance. "It's a highly symbolic choice because we're about to have a Muslim mayor swearing in using the Quran but also a mayor who was born on the African continent, in Uganda," she said. "It really brings together here elements of faith, identity and New York history."
This particular Quran, acquired from Ottoman Syria and designed for daily use, will be displayed publicly for the first time in a special exhibition at the New York Public Library. The exhibit opens the Tuesday after the inauguration, kicking off a year-long celebration of the Schomburg Center's centenary.
Midnight Oath in a Gilded Age Relic
While crowds celebrate New Year's Eve in Times Square, the mayor-elect will take his private oath at midnight in an abandoned subway station under City Hall. This architectural relic, opened in 1904 and decommissioned in 1945, now serves as a turnaround point for the 5 train. It was designated a New York City landmark in 1979 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
Mamdani described the location as symbolic of "the inauguration of a new era," calling it a "physical monument to a city that dared to be both beautiful and build great things that would transform working peoples' lives." He expressed being "humbled by the opportunity to lead millions of New Yorkers into a new era of opportunity."
New York Attorney General Letitia James will administer the midnight oath. The public ceremony later will be led by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, followed by a block party on Broadway.
Mamdani's faith was a defining feature of his campaign and often a target of political hostility. His advisers stated that incorporating both family heirlooms and historically significant texts was therefore especially important. Rahim said this decision addresses "a long deferred absence" of Muslims from the city's civic narrative, marking a turning point that "belongs to every New Yorker whose lives shaped this city quietly."
He joins a small group of U.S. elected officials who have used the Quran for their oath, including Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Representative Ilhan Omar. In New York City, Council member Shahana Hanif was sworn in on a family Quran in 2022.
Even before taking office, Mamdani has faced early criticism, notably from tech billionaire Elon Musk over a key appointment. Mamdani firmly defended his choice, underscoring the appointee's three decades of relevant experience. Attendance from former mayors remains mixed, with only Bill de Blasio confirmed. Outgoing mayor Eric Adams indicated his attendance would depend on the conduct of Mamdani's supporters, to which Mamdani responded that his predecessor was "still welcome to my inauguration."
