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 debate a fabricated policy that Mamdani would require NYC students to learn “Arabic” numbers in school.
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 India centuries ago”.
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.
The social moment was ignited by a post on Thursday by online prediction market Polymarket, which saw 5,600 comments in response to the false allegation. Grok also alleges millions of views for the same post.
Newsweek describes the post as a possible “deliberate attempt to provoke controversy or generate ridicule” by referring to the number system in a way many Americans may not be familiar with.
Mamdani’s office has not made a statement regarding these claims, which do not appear to be tied to any political statement or development.
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