First Muslim US senator-elect plans to take oath on Quran

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Abdul El-Sayed, the first Muslim elected to the US Senate, plans to take his oath of office on the Quran when he joins the chamber in January 2027.

He revealed the plan in an interview with NPR on Thursday (November 12), saying he was considering two historic copies of the holy book.

One belonged to former US president Thomas Jefferson, while the other is an ancient Quran preserved at the University of Michigan.

El-Sayed, a Democrat from Michigan, defeated Republican Mike Rogers in the November 3 midterm elections to secure the state’s Senate seat.

He said he had yet to decide which copy to use for the ceremony, adding that the oath ultimately represents allegiance to the US Constitution.

His election marks a historic milestone, as no Muslim had previously been elected to the US Senate.