By Ahmed J Versi
London, (The Muslim News): Zohran Mamdani was sworn in just after midnight on January 1 as New York City’s 111th Mayor, making history as the first Muslim, first South Asian, and first African-born person to lead the United States’ largest city. The 34-year-old democratic socialist took the oath of office on the Qur’an at the long-abandoned Old City Hall subway station, a landmark built in 1904 and decommissioned in 1945.
The oath was administered by New York Attorney General Letitia James in a private ceremony attended by Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, and close family members, including his mother, acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair, and his father, Columbia University Professor Mahmood Mamdani. According to U.S. media reports, the Qur’ans used included one belonging to Mamdani’s grandfather and another once owned by Black writer and historian Arturo Schomburg, lent by the New York Public Library.
Mamdani, who was born in Uganda to Indian immigrant parents, will formally celebrate his inauguration later on New Year’s Day with a public ceremony on the steps of City Hall, followed by New York City’s first-ever mayoral inauguration block party along Broadway’s “Canyon of Heroes.” Senator Bernie Sanders, whom Mamdani has cited as a political inspiration, is set to preside over the event, alongside Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other progressive leaders.
In November’s election, Mamdani won a decisive victory, capturing about 50% of the vote and defeating former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa. His campaign energized more than two million voters and was widely seen as a breakthrough for the Democratic Party’s progressive wing.
A former state assemblyman, Mamdani ran on a platform centered on affordability and economic rights. His proposals include freezing rent increases for stabilized apartments, expanding rent-stabilized housing, building 200,000 permanently affordable units over the next decade, eliminating bus fares, establishing city-run grocery stores, providing universal free childcare, and raising the minimum wage to $30 an hour by 2030. He has also pledged to take a public-health approach to safety through a new Department of Community Safety and to reduce reliance on police responses for mental health crises.
Mamdani estimates his agenda will cost about $10 billion annually and plans to fund it through higher corporate taxes and increased income taxes on the city’s top earners, though state approval will be required. He has also vowed to “Trump-proof” New York City by strengthening sanctuary city protections, ending cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and expanding legal services for immigrants at risk of deportation.
Since his election, Mamdani has emphasized combating Islamophobia and racism, including anti-Palestinian discrimination. He recently pledged to make fighting such hatred a priority after speaking with a Palestinian American student who faced online harassment and death threats.
His transition period has not been without controversy. An appointee responsible for recruitment and appointments resigned after resurfaced antisemitic social media posts from more than a decade ago. Mamdani accepted the resignation, stating that the remarks were unacceptable and had no place in his administration.
Despite skepticism from some business leaders and political moderates, Mamdani has said he intends to govern pragmatically. “I campaigned in poetry,” he once remarked, “but I will govern in prose.” As he begins his four-year term, supporters see his mayoralty as the start of a new political era for New York, while critics watch closely to see how his ambitious vision translates into governing the nation’s most complex city.
[New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced at a press conference he held on 31 December 2025,that he has nominated former Social Services Commissioner Steven Banks as the city’s top legal official, while appointing Elmhurst Hospital Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Helen Arteaga as Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services. Photographer: Selçuk Acar/AA]
