Minneapolis Passes ‘Historic’ Noise Permit For Ramadan Call To Prayer

City officials have granted the Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Minneapolis a noise permit to broadcast the Muslim call to prayer during Ramadan.

The call to prayer, called adhan, will be broadcast five times a day throughout the month of Ramadan. Muslims in the city are thrilled with the decision, which they say will allow them to feel connected while continuing to social distance.

“There’s definitely a lot of excitement.  Some people see it as historic,” [Imam Abdisalam Adam, who is on the board of the Dar al-Hijrah mosque] said Friday.

This certainly is historic – and intrusive.  Unlike church bells, which simply chime, the Muslim call to prayer is an Arabic affirmation of Allah. It occurs five times a day, for (I believe) a little over three minutes. It’s basically public broadcast of prayer.

I’m sure the people celebrating this decision are the same people who balk at seeing a nativity scene in a park or being told “Merry Christmas.”

Look, I get feeling disconnected from your faith community during these coronavirus shutdowns.  Many Christian churches have been shut down for weeks, including over Easter Sunday.  But we didn’t start broadcasting the Lord’s Prayer from loudspeakers across a city multiple times a day. I doubt that would have been granted a noise permit by many city officials.

But “tolerance,” right?