'The People's Qur’an': Mamdani announces NYC Qur'an exhibit with book belonging to revolutionary activist
Socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Tuesday that one of the Qur’ans he used to swear in as the city’s first Muslim leader will be kept on display at the main branch of the New York Public Library.
In an X post, Mamdani wrote that the Qur’an belonged to an 18th-century Black scholar and revolutionary activist named Arturo Schomburg.
"When I swore in at midnight at the old City Hall subway station last week, I had the honor of doing so on Arturo Schomburg’s 18th-century Qur'an," said Mamdani.
He said that "this manuscript was copied in Ottoman Syria, and is written in black ink with red highlighting the text's divisions - no ornate decoration, it belonged to the everyday reader, and it now belongs to all New Yorkers as part of our City's next chapter."
The new mayor shared a photo of the library display, which features slogans such as "The People’s Qur’an" and "Making history at City Hall."
In addition to the book, the display features an image of Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, at his private New Year’s midnight oath-of-office ceremony, in which he was sworn in by New York State Attorney General Letitia James. The display also features a close-up of the Qur’an with Mamdani’s hand on it as well as an image of Schomburg.
According to the New York Public Library, the Qur’an is part of its collection retained by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
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The library wrote that following the "history-making moment [of Mamdani’s swearing-in] with one of the Schomburg Center’s treasured collection items," it would be displayed beginning Jan. 6 in the McGraw Rotunda at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on 42nd Street.
The library identifies Schomburg as a Puerto Rican–born bibliophile, historian, and journalist who devoted much of his life to collecting and studying books and manuscripts about Black history and culture. The library also identifies him as the co-founder of Las Dos Antillas, a revolutionary anti-colonialist political organization that advocated for the Cuban and Puerto Rican independence. The group’s activities included sending weapons, money, and medical supplies to aid the independence struggles of Cuba and Puerto Rico, according to the library.
Commenting on Mamdani’s use of the Schomburg Qur’an at his swearing-in, New York Public Library President Anthony Marx wrote, "This specific Qur’an, which Arturo Schomburg preserved for the knowledge and enjoyment of all New Yorkers, symbolizes a greater story of inclusion, representation, and civic-mindedness."
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Hiba Abid, New York Public Library Curator of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, also commented that "the significance of this Qur'an extends far beyond the beauty of its pages."
Abid said that "it is a Qur'an close to the people, not only because of its simple craftsmanship, but also because it is part of the collections of the nation's largest public library system," adding, "Its importance lies not in luxury, but in accessibility, and we hope it inspires more New Yorkers to explore the rich diversity of our Middle Eastern and Islamic collections."