Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Monday signed into law a change in the city's noise ordinance so that the Muslim call to prayer, or adhan, can be broadcast from speakers atop the city's 20 mosques at any time of the day.
Mayor Jacob Frey signs change allowing Muslim call to prayer at any time in Minneapolis
Mosque leader said he's prepared to field noise complaints.
April 17, 2023 at 11:06PM
When the changes take effect Friday, Minneapolis will become the first major American city to allow all five daily calls to prayer to be amplified outdoors at any time, including the early morning hours before sunrise and late evening hours after sunset.
The signing, held inside the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in the heavily East African-immigrant Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, was attended by a number of local Islamic leaders, several City Council members and Christian and Jewish leaders who supported the measure.
Frey, who is Jewish, compared the Muslim call to prayer to the ringing of church bells and the sounding of the shofar. "They are all important to our religions," he said. "They can all be heard."
"This change ultimately expands First Amendment-protected religious freedom," said Council Member Aisha Chughtai, who authored the amendment and is one of three Muslims serving on the council, which approved the change on a 12-0 vote last week.
While Monday's event carried a celebratory feel, leaders said they're prepared for the possibility of noise complaints once the earliest adhan begins.
Striking a balance
The timing of each of the five daily calls to prayer varies throughout the year because they're related to the position of the sun.
The time for the first prayer — generally defined as when dawn first lightens the eastern sky — could commence as early as 4:57 a.m. on Friday, for example, with the final prayer at 9:37 p.m.
Around the summer solstice, the first call could sound as early at 3:30 a.m. and the final call around 11 p.m. In the depths of winter, the times for the first and last prayer of the day are closer to 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
"If we get complaints, we want to listen," said Imam Sharif Mohamed of Dar Al-Hijrah.
It's a balance "as with any noise issue," Frey said.
Minneapolis' noise ordinance previously restricted religious sounds to between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., though exceptions could be granted.
The amended noise ordinance allows sounds associated with religious worship, such as the adhan, to be amplified for up to 6 minutes.
The adhan consists of a person reciting the call that begins "Allahu akbar" ("God is great" or "God is the greatest") and other lines that urge worshipers to pray. It often lasts several minutes and can be performed by a person or a pre-recorded message. Speakers amplify the message so local worshipers can hear the call.
Dar Al-Hijrah has been able to sound the call daily since March 2022, when the city allowed it year-round between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. The mosque's speakers are directed toward the neighboring highrises that are home to a large number of Somali immigrants who are Muslim.
Mohamed said the goal of the mosque's amplification system is to alert people within about a city block, though he acknowledged that in the quieter early morning hours the sounds will travel farther.
The adhan can often be heard about two blocks away at Trinity Lutheran Congregation at Riverside and 20th avenues, depending on the ambient noise and whether windows are open.
But pastoral intern Sarah Zender said it hasn't been a problem. She said the congregation supports allowing the calls anytime.
"At Trinity, when we hear the call to prayer, it's a delightful moment," Zender said. "It reminds us of the commonalities of our religions."
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