Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) sharply criticized New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday after news emerged that Mamdani plans to be sworn into office using the Quran, Islam’s sacred text.
“The enemy is inside the gates,” Tuberville wrote in a post on X, alongside a screenshot of a New York Times article highlighting Mamdani’s decision.
Mamdani is set to become New York City’s first Muslim mayor and is expected to use multiple Qurans during both his public and private swearing-in ceremonies, according to the report. While many elected officials choose to take their oath on a religious text, no law requires them to do so.
Beyond the religious controversy, Mamdani has also drawn criticism from across the political spectrum for policy proposals that include citywide rent freezes, free child care, and free public transportation.
“It’s not going to work. It has never worked anywhere. It’s been tried,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) said during a Wednesday appearance on Fox Business. He added that such policies explain why many people around the world have fled “communism and socialism” in search of economic opportunity in the United States.
International figures also weighed in. Dutch politician Geert Wilders posted separately, calling the oath “invalid” and asserting that the United States “is not Islamic,” before warning, “Wake up America.”
Despite the backlash, Mamdani has remained firm in outlining his administration’s goals.
“Thank you to every New Yorker who believed in this fight for working people,” he wrote in an X post hours before his swearing-in.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who supported Mamdani throughout his campaign, is expected to administer the oath of office.
“Zohran and his supporters showed the world that when working people stand together, we can defeat the Democratic and Republican establishments, Trump and the Oligarchs,” Sanders wrote on X, adding, “Best of luck to the new mayor.”
