Tuesday March 29, 2022
The city of Minneapolis in the U.S. Midwest has allowed the
Islamic call to prayer, known as the adhan, ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.
The call to prayer can be recited by local mosques in the
city of Minneapolis, the largest in the state of Minnesota.
The city council approved a bill, presented by council
member Jamal Osman, allowing the prayer to be recited publicly by loudspeaker
between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., so long as local noise ordinances are
respected.
Calling the measure a step in the right direction for
religious equality, Osman said, "We have a lot of work still to do to make
sure everyone is enjoying the same rights, every religion is enjoying."
Under the measure, mosques will be able to make the call to
prayer by loudspeaker three times a day, except for morning and night prayers,
provided that the volume is below a certain decibel limit.
"The Adhan is one of the most important parts of our faith,"
Osman wrote on Twitter, adding that the call can be made at the same hours
allowed for Christian church bells.
He called the move "a signal of the equality and
community we have built here. This is America and we are allowed to share our
faith from the rooftops, just like everyone else."
The call to prayer was first legalized in the U.S. in 2004
in the city of Hamtramck, Michigan, by a decision of the local government,
followed by Dearborn, the only U.S. city in the same state where Muslims are a
majority.
The city council of Paterson, New Jersey, where nearly
30,000 Muslims live, was the third city to pass a measure authorizing the call
to prayer, in March 2020.