Zohran Mamdani Uses Historic Qur’an at His Swearing-In Ceremony

At midnight on New Year’s Eve, incoming mayor Zohran Mamdami was sworn in based on the Quran, Islam’s most important religious text. He is the first Muslim to hold the office of mayor of New York City.

One of the two Qurans used in the ceremony comes from Mr Mamdani’s grandfather. The other is on loan from the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for the Study of Black Culture. according to new york timesthe latter book was selected by Rahim and Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, with the help of Hiba Abid, Curator of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the New York Public Library.

Schaumburg’s copy, painted in red and black ink and thought to have been made in Ottoman Syria in the late 18th or early 19th century, is modest in design and scale. As such, it’s suitable for everyday use and reflects the core principles that won Mamdani his mayoral campaign. “The significance of this Quran goes far beyond its beautiful content,” Abed said in a statement. “It’s not about luxury, it’s about accessibility.”

The book is part of the personal collection of Afro-Puerto Rican scholar, author, and bibliophile Arturo Alfonso Schomburg (1874-1938), who during his lifetime collected more than 4,000 books, manuscripts, and other objects related to black art, culture, and religion, which he then sold to the New York Public Library. It will be displayed publicly for the first time on January 6 at the New York Public Library’s main branch as part of Schomburg’s 100th anniversary celebrations.