Muslim socialist Zohran Mamdani has been sworn in as the new New York City mayor, becoming the first Muslim and South Asian man to lead the largest U.S. city after taking the oath of office on the Quran.
Mamdani was sworn in just before midnight on January 1 as the ceremony was held at the abandoned Old City Hall subway station, one of the city’s original stations built in 1904 and decommissioned in 1945.
New York Attorney General Letitia James administered the oath alongside Mamdani’s family ahead of a public ceremony Thursday afternoon to be led by Senator Bernie Sanders.
According to several U.S. media outlets, the Qurans used during the ceremony included a copy belonging to Mamdani’s grandfather and another once owned by Black writer and historian Arturo Schomburg lent by the New York Public Library.
Mamdani, 34, is also the first African-born person to serve as New York City’s mayor. He was born in Uganda to Indian immigrant parents.
He won the mayoral race in the November 4 elections, defeating former New York Govenor Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa in a historic victory for the Democratic Party’s progressive wing and Muslim New Yorkers.
A democratic socialist, Mamdani ran a campaign focused on affordability and expanded social services, pledging free buses, universal childcare, city-run grocery stores, expanded rent-stabilised housing and raising the minimum wage to $30 per hour by 2030.
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However, Mamadani also came under attack from a vicious right-wing hate campaign which targeted him based on his race, Muslim heritage and his pro-Palestine activism.
Pro-Israel activists also worked tirelessly to condemn Mamdani, teaming up with Islamophobic forces in the hope of scuppering his bid for mayor.
Mamdani was portrayed as a threat to NY and suggestions were made linking Mamdani to terrorist activities such as 9/11.
Despite this, Mamdani pulled off a convincing win securing 50.78% of the vote.
Concerns among Muslims
Mamdani was elected amid a massive Muslim community effort to mobilise for his campaign.
Muslim New Yorkers believe Mamdani represents an exciting new opportunity to gain political representation in a way never before seen in New York and to fight back against rising islamophobia and racism under the presidency of Donald Trump.
Exit polls showed that the overwhelming majority of Muslim New Yorkers voted for Mamdani in last week’s mayoral election, while 60% of Jews backed pro-Israel candidate Andrew Cuomo.
According to the AP Voter Poll and NBC News Exit Poll, about 90% of Muslim voters backed Mamdani. This bloc, comprising roughly 4% of the electorate, punched above its weight in a race where every percentage point mattered.
Despite this, Mamdani supporters have admitted to 5Pillars that they are concerned that he may fail to properly represent their community due to his staunch support for left-wing causes or the pressure he will be under to distance himself from pro-Palestine activism.
Mamdani is a hard core supporter of the LGBT cause, including the Transgender agenda. He has also expressed comments related to prostitution which has sparked alarm from Muslims.
One of the reasons he gained so much support was his strong defence of Palestine and public criticism of Zionism, however, some fear he may be influenced once on office to soften his anti-Zionism stance.
However, local Muslims have assured 5Pillars that they will look to hold Mamdani accountable during his tenure and will look closely to see if he shows signs of deviating from his campaign pledges on Palestine.
Religious Muslim New Yorkers have shown a willingness to put their concerns over Mamdani’s socialist social issues to one side in order to get a pro-Palestine candidate elected who can also confront far-right forces.
On Christmas Eve, Mamadani issued a pledge that when he takes office he will consistently fight Islamophobia and racism against Palestinians.
“As Mayor … I will make it my job to cherish, protect, and celebrate all New Yorkers and combat Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism at every corner.”
