By Celina Tebor
Published 4:10 PM EDT, Tue August 29, 2023 cnn.com
People gather during a Friday prayer at a Turkish mosque in Brooklyn.Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesCNN —
New York City issued new guidance Tuesday allowing mosques (masjids) to broadcast the Muslim call to prayer on Fridays between 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. without obtaining a permit and despite sound restrictions in city neighborhoods.
According to the city, the guidance also allows the call to prayer to be broadcast in the evenings during Ramadan, a month-long period of fasting and prayer for the Muslim community.
“Today we are cutting red tape and saying clearly if you are a mosque or house of worship of any kind, you do not have to apply for a permit to amplify your call to Friday prayer. You are free to live your faith in NYC,” Mayor Eric Adams said while announcing the new guidance Tuesday.
The call to prayer is the Adhan, also spelled Azan, which is usually broadcast publicly over speakers or a public address system in a house of worship that summons members of the Muslim faith for prayer, a news release from the city said.
The new initiative, launched by the NYPD, clarifies the call to prayer is allowed in New York City and “not prohibited despite sound restrictions in city neighborhoods,” the release said.
source https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/29/us/new-york-city-mosques-broadcast-call-to-prayer-reaj/index.html
