Fact Check: Is Mamdani Introducing 'Arabic Numerals' To New York Schools?
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 school in the state to learn Arabic numerals.
Arabic numerals are simply the digits 0 through 9 — the standard number symbols used in math, banking, street signs, phone numbers, government forms, and every classroom in the United States. They’re called "Arabic numerals" because the system was transmitted to Europe through medieval Arabic scholars, but they are universal and have been used in American schools for centuries.
A false claim on social media suggests New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani plans to mandate the use of 'Arabic numerals' in public schools, which are simply the standard digits 0 through 9 used in the U.S. This claim, lacking any factual basis, has sparked controversy online, despite Arabic numerals being a universal system used in American education for centuries.
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