The Minneapolis City Council unanimously passed a resolution honoring the Islamic month of Ramadan and supporting the year-round public broadcasting of Azaan (the call to prayer).
The resolution, passed last week, told mosque leaders that they are permitted to call the Azaan during the day in their areas.
Except for morning and night services, mosques will be authorized to make the call to prayer by loudspeaker three times a day, providing the volume is kept below a specific decibel range.
Jamal Osman, Ward 6 Council Member in Minneapolis, who presented the resolution, stated, “This is a wonderful honor — the first recognition of Ramadan by the city — and acknowledging that the call to prayer can be broadcasted in Minneapolis.”
Jamal pushed the motion on behalf of the council’s new Muslim Caucus, which includes Ward 10 Council Member Aisha Chughtai and Ward 5 Council Member Jeremiah Ellison.
He described the legislation as a step toward religious equality.
“We have a lot of work still to do to make sure everyone is enjoying the same rights; every religion is enjoying.”
Osman stated on Twitter that the Azaan is one of the most significant aspects of our faith, and that the call can be made at the same hours as 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.”
Aside from Minneapolis, the ordinance is only used in three other cities in the United States: Paterson, New Jersey, and Hamtramck and Dearborn, Michigan.
To read our blog on “In PTI rally, Abrar-ul-Haq unintentionally gives Fajr Azaan at Maghrib hour,” click here.
