Mosque call to prayer broadcasts approved by Minneapolis City Council

A man standing on a roof stands in front of a microphone
Ahmed Jamal, a longtime member of the Dar Al-Hijrah Mosque, gives the adhan, or traditional Muslim call to prayer, from the building’s roof in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood on April 23, 2020. The Minneapolis City Council voted Friday morning to amend the city's noise ordinance to allow mosques to broadcast the call to prayer five times a day.
Matt Sepic | MPR News 2020

The Minneapolis City Council voted Thursday morning to amend the city's noise ordinance to allow mosques to broadcast the call to prayer five times a day.

The push to change the city law was led by the council's three Muslim members, Jeremiah Ellison, Aisha Chughtai and Jamal Osman.

Chughtai thanked members of the Council on American-Islamic Relations who pushed for the measure and were in the council chamber for the vote. She said the law change benefits all faith communities.

“It is really important for us at the city to approach all issues from a lens of ensuring equal access for all people and that's what we've really done here,” Chughtai said.

The measure passed 12-0.

In a statement, CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein said, “This is a historic victory for religious freedom and pluralism for our entire nation. We thank the members of the Minneapolis City Council for setting this great example, and we urge other cities to follow it.”

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