New Delhi, Jan 2 (IANS) As Democrat leader Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as the first Muslim mayor of America’s largest city, placing his hand on the Holy Quran while taking the oath of office, leaders from the JD(U) and Shiv Sena on Friday said that religion should not be politicised.

Zohran Mamdani became the mayor of New York City shortly after midnight on Thursday. He took the oath of office at a decommissioned subway station in Manhattan, marking a historic moment in the city’s political landscape.

Speaking to IANS, JD(U) National Spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad said that the US Constitution allows individuals to take an oath in accordance with their religious beliefs and faith.

“In India too, we follow a similar practice. People are free to take their oaths based on their personal beliefs. This is not an event that should be politicised at a global level,” he said.

Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC also echoed similar sentiments.

She said, “Zohran Mamdani, the new mayor of New York, took his oath on three Qurans — one belonging to his grandfather, one to his grandmother, and one his personal pocket Quran — and no one questions it. It is his prerogative. However, when Hindus take their oath on the Bhagavad Gita, many people raise questions. I believe we should move beyond pseudo-secular politics.”

She further added that diversity should be respected and welcomed.

“To each his own faith must be accepted. This is also a first-of-its-kind event that sets a trend. I do not think religion should be politicised,” Shaina NC said.

NCP (SP) Rajya Sabha MP Fauzia Khan said that everyone in the world has their own beliefs and practices.

“Everyone has the freedom to follow and practise their religion. Nearly half of the world’s population is Muslim. Does that mean half the world is orthodox? Holding such narrow-minded views makes it difficult to coexist in a global village,” she said.

Condemning the criticism, Fauzia Khan added, “Everyone has the right to follow their own religion, irrespective of what it is. If Muslims follow the Quran in their own way, what is wrong with that?”

RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha said that people across the world take oaths in different ways. “Some take oaths in the name of God, some in the name of Allah, some invoke Jesus, some Waheguru, and some take an oath on the Constitution,” he said.

Zohran Mamdani has taken the oath of office as the new mayor of New York City in a historic midnight ceremony held at a decommissioned subway station in Manhattan, becoming the first Muslim to lead America’s largest city.

Mamdani placed his hand on a Quran as he was sworn in, marking a first in the city’s political history.

“This is truly the honour and the privilege of a lifetime,” Mamdani said moments after taking the oath.

The 34-year-old Democrat was sworn in by New York Attorney General Letitia James, a close political ally, at the old City Hall subway station, one of the original stops on the city’s earliest underground line.

The station, renowned for its ornate arched ceilings and historic significance, served as the backdrop for the ceremony, with Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, holding the Quran during the oath.

Mamdani is set to be sworn in once again later in the day in a larger public ceremony at City Hall at 1 p.m. local time.

That event will be administered by US Senator Bernie Sanders, one of the new mayor’s political inspirations, and will be followed by a public block party organised by the incoming administration.

The celebration is planned along a stretch of Broadway known as the “Canyon of Heroes”, a location traditionally associated with ticker-tape parades.

Following the ceremonies, Mamdani and his wife will move from their one-bedroom, rent-stabilised apartment in an outer borough to the official mayoral residence in Manhattan.

–IANS

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