Zohran Mamdani is rumored to be ‘introducing Arabic numerals’ in New York City schools, according to online claims. But is this really the case?
Mamdani secured the New York mayoralty by running a campaign centered on making the city more affordable for its residents.
Following Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election, Mamdani took to the streets of New York to engage with individuals about their decision to vote for Trump, with many citing the cost of living as a primary concern.
During his campaign, Mamdani, who proudly identifies as the first South Asian and the first Muslim to serve as mayor of New York City, faced numerous attacks aimed at his religious background.
After his electoral success, rumors emerged online suggesting that the newly elected mayor planned to introduce ‘Arabic numerals’ in New York City public schools.
But what is the reality behind these claims?
In reality, the ‘claim’ began as a joke among his supporters. The system of writing numbers universally employed in mathematics today originates from Arabic numerals.
Arab scholars were the ones who initially shared this numerical system with Europeans, which is why the numbers 0-9 are referred to as ‘Arabic numerals.’
As a matter of fact, ‘Arabic numerals’ are already in use not only in New York schools but throughout the United States.
There are differences in symbols; for instance, ‘1 2 3 4 5’ in Arabic is represented as ‘٥ ٤ ٣ ٢ ١’.
While the symbols have evolved over time, the concept of having digits from 0 to 9 and using them to form numbers is rooted in the Arabic numeral system.
This differs from the older European system of Roman numerals, where letters are given specific values, and their arrangement determines their meaning, like IV (4) and VI (6), which can be more cumbersome to use.
Clearly, the claims are untrue. Although it began as a humorous social media reference poking fun at some of the outlandish allegations made by Mamdani’s detractors, some individuals misunderstood the joke and took it seriously.
This includes West Virginia House of Delegates member Derrick Evans, who participated in the January 6 Capitol insurrection.
Mr. Evans stated: “BREAKING: Zohran Mamdani is expected to require ALL New York Elementary school students to learn Arabic numerals.”
Mamdani’s campaign was far more comprehensive than this claim suggests; he released a campaign video in advanced Arabic, demonstrating his fluency by switching between formal Modern Standard Arabic and various dialects.
Additionally, he produced campaign videos in Spanish, Hindi, and Urdu.