Muslim City Council Member Rejects Oath of Office During Swearing In

A Boston city councilor insisted on a "prayer" instead of reciting her oath of office during her swearing-in ceremony this week.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu led the city councilors as they took their oaths of office in City Hall on Monday, marking their first legislative meeting of the new year.

However, the ceremony brought some controversy after City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson, a Democrat and a Muslim, appeared to not recite her oath of office with the other councilors, all of whom were seen saying their oaths. Video on social media appeared to show her remaining silent and not raising her right hand during the ceremony. After the ceremony, she was seen celebrating, clapping and hugging her fellow councilors, according to video livestreamed by the council.

On Friday, Boston City Clerk Alex Geourntas told Newsweek that Fernandes Anderson took the oath Thursday afternoon and signed the oath book for elected officials.

"I administered the oath of office, which she repeated after me, and the assistant city clerk was present as well, serving as a witness to the administration of the oath," he said.

Fernandes Anderson said Thursday night on X (formerly Twitter) that she did not recite the oath on Monday because she was "committing a prayer" instead.

"So let me get this straight: You're okay with someone mindlessly mouthing an oath only to betray every promise they've ever made, but me internalizing my oath, committing a prayer between myself and God in honor of that very oath is a problem for you?" she wrote.

She went on: "Nobody loves and appreciates this country more than an immigrant. We've worked too hard to be here. We take nothing for granted. And seriously, you can't honestly believe a woman who fought for citizenship, ran for public office in the face of unrelenting racism, islamophobia, and sexism just so she could SERVE her community, and who blessed and encouraged her child's enlistment into the armed services in defense of this country, doesn't Love and cherish it."

Fernandes Anderson condemned the "anti-immigrant racist vitriol" that stemmed from what she considers a "nonincident."

Newsweek reached out to Fernandes Anderson's and Wu's offices via their online contact forms for comment.

The video was first posted to X by the organization Boston Accountability Network (BAN).

Its post reads: "What should have been a simple display of solidarity & eagerness to begin their service to Boston's residents may be an indication of the opposite. Video footage obtained by BAN shows that Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson, while physically present, did not actually participate in the ceremony."

The post added: "More straightforward, Anderson did not utter a single word of her oath of office, as required by the Boston City Charter."

The video continued to spread across social media after the right-wing account Libs of TikTok posted it. The clip has been viewed more than 3 million times.

Some critics questioned whether Boston city councilors are required to recite the oath of office. Others said she should not have the authority to vote without formally taking the oath.

"Not a fan of hers, but I don't believe the Boston charter says she MUST recite the oath. I hope you are looking into it," X user Brain Connolly posted.

User Robert Winters wrote: "If she chose not to take the oath of office, that should be tantamount to forfeiting the office. Until she takes the oath, she's councilor-elect. She can start voting on matters when she actually becomes a councilor."

Fernandes Anderson represents Boston's 7th District, which includes the South End, Dorchester and Roxbury. She was first elected in 2021 and took office in 2022. In 2023, she beat back a challenge from former Councilor Althea Garrison, winning more than 70 percent of the vote in the deeply Democratic city.

Update 1/5/24, 10:25 a.m. ET: This story was updated with a comment from Boston City Clerk Alex Geourntas, who said he administered the oath of office to Tania Fernandes Anderson on Thursday.