Zohran Mamdani To Make Arabic Numerals Mandatory In Ny Schools News18

Leo Migdal

-Dec 3, 2025, 12:58 PM

zohran mamdani to make arabic numerals mandatory in ny schools news18

Zohran Mamdani, the first South Asian and Muslim elected as Mayor of New York City and the Indian-American son of filmmaker Mira Nair, won the mayoral contest after promising big changes on the ground:... However, a tongue-in-cheek “mandate" has been blowing up on X, jokingly claiming that the 34-year-old wants elementary school kids across the city to start learning Arabic numerals. The satirical news spread like wildfire on X as it was amplified by angered X accounts, for they believed the “Islamification of New York" had already begun under Mamdani. The satirical post made by an account @Polymarket noted: “BREAKING: Zohran Mamdani to require all New York elementary school students to learn Arabic numerals." BREAKING: Zohran Mamdani to require all New York elementary school students to learn Arabic numerals.— Polymarket (@Polymarket) November 19, 2025 The news of Mamdani “forcing" Arabic numerals on Americans gained momentum and reached the target audience it seemingly had aimed for.

A claim circulating on social media alleging that New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is pushing legislation to require the use of "Arabic numerals" in the state’s public schools has raised a few eyebrows online. Newsweek has contacted representatives of Mamdani for comment via email outside of regular working hours. Posts circulating on social media claim Mamdani is expected to introduce new rules when he becomes New York Mayor in 2026 that will require all public elementary schools in the state to learn Arabic... It appears to stem from a misunderstanding—or a deliberate attempt to provoke controversy or generate ridicule—by using a term that some readers may find unfamiliar even though it refers to the numbers Americans already... But some social media users may have taken it seriously. "BREAKING: Zohran Mamdani is expected to require ALL New York Elementary school students to learn Arabic numerals," one post on X from member of the West Virginia House of Delegates Derrick Evans read.

Evans was also as part of the January 6 attack on the Capitol. The post has over 300,000 views as of Thursday morning. In mid-November 2025, a rumor spread on X that New York City's Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani would be introducing "Arabic numerals" to schools in the city. One post from the account of the prediction market Polymarket stated: "BREAKING: Zohran Mamdani to require all New York elementary school students to learn Arabic numerals." The above claim was false. Mamdani had made no such announcement.

Additionally, "Arabic numerals" is the common term for the digits 0 through 9, a number system that is clearly already part of all educational institutions in New York City. We reached out to Mamdani's team to ask for their response to the rumor and to the @Polymarket X account to determine whether the post was satirical in nature. We will update this story if they respond. While the above post may have been intended as humorous, some online took the claim seriously. Conservative activist Laura Loomer replied to the above post, writing: "You know things are bad when you can't tell if this is real or a joke." Many online shared screenshots claiming to show an... It's real.

Isn't it?" We were unable to independently verify that Loomer edited her post. A technicality over the definition of global numerical systems led to X users sparking a false trending topic about New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani this week, with some taking to the platform to... X’s Grok AI highlighted the misinformation in a trending moment, writing that X users were outraged over the fake news, “despite Arabic numerals being standard in schools worldwide since Arab scholars spread them from... Several fact-check news organisations have debunked the claim, showing that Mamdani made no such declaration. “Arabic numerals is the common term for the digits 0 through 9, a number system that is clearly already part of all educational institutions in New York City,” said fact-checking website Snopes. Encyclopaedia Britannica further explained that the number system was originally invented in India, and then spread widely by Middle Eastern mathematicians.

Ever since his win in the 2025 New York City Mayoral Election, many claims have circulated about the policies Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani will implement after taking office on January 1. The latest rumor spreading on social media alleges that Mamdani plans to make Arabic numerals mandatory for all elementary school students in New York City. "Zohran Mamdani to require all New York elementary school students to learn Arabic numerals," one viral post on X claimed. Another post read, "Unconfirmed reports suggest that Zohran Mamdani may be preparing a proposal that would require all New York elementary school students to learn Arabic numerals." While the claim has generated significant buzz online, it is not true. Mamdani has not made any announcement regarding his education policies.

Several of his actual proposals have been widely discussed, including government-run grocery stores, a rent freeze, creating New York City’s first universal childcare program, and making city buses free. Also read: Trump Administration Plans To Dismantle Parts Of Education Department - How Will This Affect Student Loans? Arabic numerals are the standard digits (0–9) used across the globe. These numerals were developed in India and later spread through Europe by Arab mathematicians, hence the name. Posts claiming Mamdani plans to mandate Arabic numerals in NYC schools sparked widespread ridicule on social media. (KGTV) — Posts on social media are warning that New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is expected to introduce rules after he takes office requiring all public schools to learn "Arabic numerals."

Arabic numbers are simply the digits 0 through 9 that we all use. They're called "Arabic numerals" because the system was taught to Europe through medieval Arabic scholars. But they're universal and have been used in American schools for centuries. Mamdani will take office January 1, becoming New York City's first Muslim mayor. The TOI Lifestyle Desk is a dynamic team of dedicated journalists who, with unwavering passion and commitment, sift through the pulse of the nation to curate a vibrant tapestry of lifestyle news for The... At the TOI Lifestyle Desk, we go beyond the obvious, delving into the extraordinary.

Consider us your lifestyle companion, providing a daily dose of inspiration and information. Whether you're seeking the latest fashion trends, travel escapades, culinary delights, or wellness tips, the TOI Lifestyle Desk is your one-stop destination for an enriching lifestyle experience.Read More Does Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani have a plan to require all New York students to learn Arabic numerals? No, that's not true: Viral posts making that claim are satirical in nature because Arabic numerals are already widely used everywhere in New York and the rest of the United States. The joke plays on the ignorance of certain audiences not knowing "Arabic numerals" are the commonly used digits 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. One example of such a viral post appeared on X (archived here) on November 19, 2025.

It read: This is what the post looked like at the time of writing: BREAKING: Zohran Mamdani to require all New York elementary school students to learn Arabic numerals. The Britannica dictionary defines "Arabic Numerals" (archived here) as: The claim appeared on social media soon after Mamdani’s win in the New York City mayoral race People online have been claiming that Zohran Mamdani plans to ‘introduce Arabic numerals’ into New York City schools, but the situation is not as dramatic as it sounds.

The phrase spread quickly and sparked a lot of reaction, so it’s worth taking a closer look at what is actually being said. Mamdani won the New York mayoral election after running a campaign centered on making the city more affordable and improving daily life for residents. His focus on cost of living struck a chord with many voters who felt the pressure of rising expenses. Shortly after Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election, Mamdani went out into the streets to speak directly with New Yorkers about their votes. He noted that the high cost of living was one of the most common concerns he heard from the people he approached. During his campaign, Mamdani—who has openly embraced being the first South Asian and first Muslim mayor in New York City’s history—faced several attacks that targeted his religion.

These comments often had little to do with his policies and became a repeated theme throughout the election season. A viral claim has been doing the rounds that New York City mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, will require elementary school children to learn Arabic numerals. The claims have been amplified by unverified profiles on social media. Polymarket, which touts itself to be the world's biggest prediction market, noted on X “BREAKING: Zohran Mamdani to require all New York elementary school students to learn Arabic numerals.” Derrick Evans, who was part of the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol, also shared the news and wrote “BREAKING: Zohran Mamdani is expected to require ALL New York Elementary school students to learn... Yet another page amplified the claim, stating “Unconfirmed reports suggest that Zohran Mamdani may be preparing a proposal that would require all New York elementary school students to learn Arabic numerals.”

Notably, these claims hold no basis because the Arabic numerals are what is already taught in schools. The ten Arabic numerals are – 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.

Zohran Mamdani To Make Arabic Numerals Mandatory In Ny Schools News18

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