Zohraan Mamdani Sworn in as New York Mayor on the Quran

Zohraan Mamdani officially assumed office as mayor of New York City, taking the oath of office on the Quran, marking the first time a city mayor has used the Islamic holy book for the ceremony, RBC reports.

The private ceremony took place at midnight on New Year’s Eve at the City Hall subway station, near the municipal building. «This is truly an honour and a privilege of a lifetime,» Mamdani said.

The 34-year-old won a landslide victory in November, promising voters free and faster bus services, a network of municipal grocery stores, universal preschool education, and a rent freeze for nearly 2 mln New Yorkers living in rent-regulated apartments.

Mamdani is also the first Muslim mayor and the first politician of South Asian descent to hold New York City’s top office, symbolising a historic milestone in the city’s political and cultural landscape.