In a landmark moment for American politics, Zohran Mamdani assumed office as New York City’s first Muslim mayor on January 1, 2026, before thousands of supporters who endured freezing temperatures to witness the historic inauguration. The ceremony at City Hall and adjacent Broadway areas transformed into a sea of blue and yellow beanies bearing the new mayor’s name, with 1990s R&B music creating a celebratory atmosphere despite the cold.
The significance of this political milestone was palpable among attendees, many of whom clutched hand-warmers alongside Palestinian keffiyehs. Asad Dandia, an informal adviser during Mamdani’s campaign, expressed profound emotion about the occasion: ‘It’s insane we are going to have a Muslim guy in command of City Hall. Islamaphobia, anti-Muslim bigotry [and] anti-Arab bigotry lost and we won.’
Mamdani’s inauguration actually occurred in two parts. At midnight, he participated in a private ceremony at an abandoned subway stop using his grandfather’s Quran and a 200-year-old copy borrowed from the New York Public Library. His wife, artist Rama Duwaji, held the religious texts during this intimate oath-taking, attended by former Mayor Eric Adams among few others.
The 34-year-old mayor represents multiple historic firsts: not only New York’s initial Muslim mayor but also the first of South Asian descent and first born in Africa. His campaign deliberately centered on his faith and ethnic background while championing New York’s diversity. Through social media outreach, Mamdani addressed post-9/11 Islamophobia and highlighted experiences of Muslim and immigrant communities.
His avowedly left-wing platform promised rent control, free bus travel, and increased taxes on the wealthiest residents. Perhaps most notably, Mamdani maintained an unapologetically pro-Palestine stance in a city deeply affected by protests against Israel’s war on Gaza.
The broad coalition supporting Mamdani included substantial Jewish support, as noted by transgender activist Rabbi Abby Stein: ‘We had thousands of Jews knocking on hundreds of thousands of doors… we got hundreds of thousands of Jews who voted for the first Muslim mayor.’ Stein articulated the shared vision that ‘Palestinian liberation is what will help us in the battle against antisemitism, in the battle against Islamophobia.’
The City Hall event, accommodating 4,000 ticket holders, was complemented by a neighboring block party for approximately 40,000 additional spectators who watched the proceedings on large screens across seven blocks of Lower Manhattan.