The Minneapolis City Council is slated to vote on Thursday to lift restrictions on mosques' ability to broadcast the Muslim call to prayer, or adhan, from their rooftops five times a day. Currently, mosques can only play the calls between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., limiting them to three or four broadcasts daily instead of the customary five. This amendment would position Minneapolis as the first major U.S. city to explicitly allow the complete set of broadcasts year-round, according to the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN).
The council is set to vote on an ordinance that would extend the hours during which adhans can be played through outdoor speakers. Local mosques are already allowed to use amplified sound for the announcements from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and a 2022 resolution verified that adhans could be broadcast throughout the year. Nonetheless, religious leaders have raised concerns about the time constraints, arguing that they have impeded early morning and evening prayer reminders.
CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein told Axios that the amendment "sends a message to the world that freedom of religion is practiced here." He hopes other U.S. cities will emulate Minneapolis. Hussein anticipates that three to four local mosques, including one at a prominent Somali mall, will join the two that already regularly broadcast the adhan once the ordinance is enacted.
Minnesota hosts the largest Somali population in the United States, with the majority residing in Minneapolis. The call to prayer is a valued tradition for many in the city's Muslim community, and permitting only partial broadcasts is seen as an unwarranted constraint. The adhan is a crucial link to their faith and cultural heritage, promoting a sense of unity and spiritual well-being within the community.
"The change in the ordinance would greatly benefit the Muslim community and allow us to fully practice our faith in our daily lives," said Wali Dirie, executive director of the Islamic Civic Society of America and Dar Al-Hijrah Mosque, as quoted by Sahan Journal. "As a Muslim leader, I feel as if my prayers are still incomplete when the morning one is left out."
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The council is set to vote on an ordinance that would extend the hours during which adhans can be played through outdoor speakers. Local mosques are already allowed to use amplified sound for the announcements from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and a 2022 resolution verified that adhans could be broadcast throughout the year. Nonetheless, religious leaders have raised concerns about the time constraints, arguing that they have impeded early morning and evening prayer reminders.
CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein told Axios that the amendment "sends a message to the world that freedom of religion is practiced here." He hopes other U.S. cities will emulate Minneapolis. Hussein anticipates that three to four local mosques, including one at a prominent Somali mall, will join the two that already regularly broadcast the adhan once the ordinance is enacted.
Minnesota hosts the largest Somali population in the United States, with the majority residing in Minneapolis. The call to prayer is a valued tradition for many in the city's Muslim community, and permitting only partial broadcasts is seen as an unwarranted constraint. The adhan is a crucial link to their faith and cultural heritage, promoting a sense of unity and spiritual well-being within the community.
"The change in the ordinance would greatly benefit the Muslim community and allow us to fully practice our faith in our daily lives," said Wali Dirie, executive director of the Islamic Civic Society of America and Dar Al-Hijrah Mosque, as quoted by Sahan Journal. "As a Muslim leader, I feel as if my prayers are still incomplete when the morning one is left out."
Minneapolis poised to make history by permitting full call to prayer broadcasts
Minneapolis (HOL) - The Minneapolis City Council is slated to vote on Thursday to lift restrictions on mosques' ability to broadcast the Muslim call to prayer, or adhan, from their rooftops five times a day. Currently, mosques can only play the calls between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., limiting them to...
