For almost a year, mosque communities in Cologne have been allowed to apply for public calls to prayer. Now the first muezzin calls asking for Friday prayers could actually be heard soon.
At the central mosque in the Ehrenfeld district, the muezzin was able to call for prayer over loudspeakers from October 14. A spokeswoman for the city of Cologne said on Sunday that only a few minor things needed to be improved before the Turkish-Islamic Union Ditib could sign a corresponding contract with the city. “The municipality expects that this can happen in the short term, so that the muezzin can probably call after mid-October.” The Rheinische Post previously reported.
There are a few rules that must be observed: The muezzin may then call to Friday prayers once between 12:00 and 15:00 for a maximum duration of five minutes. As it is a pilot project, the contract is limited to two years, the spokeswoman said. The Ditib must also inform the neighbors with a flyer and name a contact person.
City council points to freedom of religion
A year ago, Cologne stated that in the future mosque communities can call their believers to prayer on request and under conditions. The city refers to the freedom of religion enshrined in the constitution. While the bells tolled in Christian churches calling believers to worship, in the mosques of Muslim communities it was the calls of the muezzin that served this purpose.
German integration expert Ahmad Mansour described the move last year as “naive symbolic politics”. The move will not strengthen the acceptance of Muslims in Germany, “but it will contribute to more division in our society”. According to him, the mosque is only about “visibility and claim to power”. In any case, the subject polarizes well beyond the city limits of Cologne. It has been repeatedly claimed that Christian communities in Turkey and other Muslim countries do not experience such tolerance. One user said on Twitter: “Submission perfect. Cologne wants to allow muezzin calls from mid-October – I’m never going there again. I don’t want to experience that”
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
