The Minneapolis City Council has unanimously passed a resolution, recognizing the Islamic month of Ramadan and supporting the public broadcasting of Azaan (the call to prayer) throughout the year.
The resolution, adopted last week, informed mosque leadership that they are allowed to call the Azaan in their neighborhoods during the daytime.
Under this resolution, mosques will be able to make the call to prayer by loudspeaker three times a day, except for morning and night prayers, provided that the volume is below a certain decibel limit.
Minneapolis Ward 6 Council Member, Jamal Osman, who presented the resolution, said:
“This is a wonderful honor — the first recognition of Ramadan by the city — and acknowledging that the call to prayer can be broadcasted in Minneapolis.”
Jamal led the council’s new Muslim Caucus, which includes Ward 10 Council Member, Aisha Chughtai, and Ward 5 Council Member, Jeremiah Ellison, in pushing the resolution.
He declared the measure a step in the right direction for religious equality.
Taking to Twitter, Osman said that the Azaan is one of the most important parts of our faith, adding that the call can be made at the same hours allowed for Christian church bells.
Today the council passed a resolution commemorating Ramadan. It was an honor to help carry it, and help share my faith with the city. ⁰
One of the notable things with this resolution was we acknowledged that the call to prayer was legal in Minneapolis. The Adhan is one of the pic.twitter.com/wJRloTIHfv— Jamal Osman (@JamalOsmanMN) March 24, 2022
He called the move “a signal of the equality and community we have built here. This is America and we are allowed to share our faith from the rooftops, just like everyone else.”
Besides Minneapolis, the ordinance is practiced in just three other US cities – Paterson in New Jersey, and Hamtramck and Dearborn in Michigan.
