On the New Year’s Day, the New Yorkers felt a sigh of relief, hoping for a better future as Zohran Mamdani took office as Mayor of New York City, announcing major policy shifts.
Mamdani’s swearing-in ceremony was marked by many firsts. The young Mayor, who took office at 34 years of age, is the New York’s first Muslim Mayor, the first of South Asian descent and the first born in Africa. He also emerged as the first mayor to take the oath of office using the Qur’an.Mamdani first took the oath at midnight at the historic New York subway station beneath City Hall. He placed his hand on a copy of the Qur’an belonging to his grandfather, along with another pocket-sized copy of the holy book held by the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Centre for Research in Black Culture, thus winning the confidence and Muslims and the Black people in New York and the States.Later, a public ceremony at City Hall featured remarks from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who praised a vision centred on working people. Senator Bernie Sanders formally swore Mamdani into office while Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, held the Qur’an. At the City Hall programme, Mamdani used the Qur’an passed down from both his grandfather and grandmother.
Hours after the swearing-in ceremony, Mamdani revoked key executive orders linked to Israel policy and antisemitism definitions, marking a clear shift from the approach of the previous administration. Honouring the pledges made during his election campaign, Mamdani revoked the executive order banning BDS actions. Earlier,the order restricted city agencies from participating in such boycotts or divestment measures. He also rescinded an executive order issued in June 2025 that directed city agencies to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism. Now the IHRA framework no longer serves as the primary reference for identifying or addressing anti-Jewish hate incidents within the various departments of the city.
In another major policy shift, Mamdani rescinded an order requiring the New York Police Department to reassess protest responses at houses of worship. This move followed a protest outside a synagogue under the previous mayor. The new move includes guidance on police conduct during such demonstrations, maintaining oversight through a revised approach.
The enthusiastic Mayoralso revoked executive orders issued by former mayor Eric Adams after September 26, 2024. Those orders followed federal corruption charges against Adams, which were later dropped. According to Mamdani’s office, the decision aimed to ensure a fresh start while allowing reissuance of orders aligned with the new administration’s policies.
Mamdani’spro-people agenda also include free childcare, free bus service, a rent freeze for nearly one million households, and city-run grocery pilots. Funding such challenging projectsis likely to shape his early months in office.
At a time when public functionaries are adopting or aligning with corruption and anti-minority hate-driven policies in different parts of the world even at the cost of growth and development as well as public welfare, Zohran Mamdani’s daring policy shifts seem to be moving around the demands of truth and justice. Mamdani’s success also proves that if you take up the cudgels for betterment with sincerity and commitment to selfless service, success is yours. One thing however is certain: if he sticks to the teachings of the holy book on which he has taken the oath of office rather than letting it go as mere ceremonial gesture, he would be able to effect a change for the better, at least for the New Yorkers.