The Ghanaian Minaret

US – The Minneapolis City Council has unanimously approved a resolution that allows the Muslim call to prayer, “Adhan” to be heard via loudspeakers for the five daily obligatory prayers.

The move makes the city the first large United States (US) city to allow for public broadcast after it amended the city’s noise ordinance.

Before the passing of the resolution, the broadcast of the call to prayer was allowed between 7 am and 10 pm, excluding some morning and evening prayers, especially in instances when dawn comes as early as 5:30 am and sunset after 9 pm during certain times of the year.

The voting took place on Thursday, April 13 during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and has been met with celebration from members of the city’s local Muslim community.

Mayor Jacob Frey, the 48th mayor of Minneapolis on Monday, April 17 signed the resolution at a press conference.

He described the signing of the resolution as “a momentous occasion for inclusion and freedom of religion in Minneapolis”.

“Importantly this is just not about our Muslim community. This is about all of us that have some form of faith or religion. From the church bells to the blowing of the Shofar and the adhan, this is about inclusion, peace, and freedom of religion,” he said.

Jaylani Hussein, Director of the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR) Minnesota branch, said the move was a historic victory for religious freedom and pluralism for the nation,”

“We thank the members of the Minneapolis City Council for setting this great example, and we urge other cities to follow it.” He said in a statement.

Since the 1990s, Minneapolis has had a vibrant community of immigrants from East Africa, and mosques have become commonplace throughout the city, where three of the 13-member city council identify as Muslim.

The resolution received support from people of numerous faiths in the community, including Christian and Jewish leaders who spoke in favour of extending the hours at a recent public hearing.