The Muslim call to prayer will ring out more freely in New York City under guidelines announced Tuesday by Mayor Eric Adams, which he said should foster a spirit of inclusivity.
Under the new rules, Adams said, mosques will not need a special permit to publicly broadcast the Islamic call to prayer, or adhan, on Fridays and at sundown during the holy month of Ramadan. Friday is the traditional Islamic holy day, and Muslims break their fast at sunset during Ramadan.
The police department’s community affairs bureau will work with mosques to communicate the new guidelines and ensure that devices used to broadcast the adhan are set to appropriate decibel levels, Adams said. Houses of worship can broadcast up to 10 decibels over the ambient sound level, the mayor’s office said.
I have, on occasion, heard the siren in Williamsburg. But a siren is very different from having to hear an entire Friday service blasting into my home. Shabbat sirens and church bells suck, but they are only symbolically religious. Mosques are broadcasting their literal prayers. I felt prayed upon. Puns aside, we’re not even talking about the public square, where people have differing opinions on the appropriateness of religious ideas/imagery. This is about a person in their private residence or private business being subjected to someone else’s religion in full.
A Google search shows that the Adhan isn’t a prayer.
God is the greatest. X4 There is No God but God. X2 Mohammad is the apostle of God. X2 Hurry to the prayer. X2 Hurry to the success. X2 God is the greatest. X2
Duration depends on the person reciting it.