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Eugene

(62,623 posts)
Fri Oct 14, 2022, 08:32 AM Oct 2022

Prominent mosque in Germany sounds 1st public call to prayer

Source: Associated Press

Prominent mosque in Germany sounds 1st public call to prayer

By MARTIN MEISSNER and GEIR MOULSON
October 14, 2022

COLOGNE, Germany (AP) — The Islamic call to prayer was sounded in public for the first time from one of Germany’s biggest mosques on Friday, but at limited volume, as part of a project agreed with authorities in Cologne, which has one of the country’s largest Muslim communities.

Authorities in Germany’s fourth-biggest city last year cleared the way for mosques to apply for permission for the muezzin to call for a maximum five minutes between noon and 3 p.m. on Fridays, with a noise limit being set for each mosque according to its location.

The call to prayer wasn’t a first for Germany but did bring it to a particularly prominent mosque. The Central Mosque, a modern building with two tall minarets, is located on a busy road just west of downtown Cologne. Run by the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs, or DITIB, it was inaugurated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2018.

Until now, the call to prayer was heard only inside the building. Early Friday afternoon, it was broadcast through two loudspeakers, though authorities stipulated that it should be limited to 60 decibels for nearby residents.

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/religion-germany-prayer-cologne-39bfe41c5b74b66e1c6568f2fc7c4bae


Muezzin Mustafa Kader recites the call to prayer at the Cologne Central Mosque in Cologne, Germany, Friday, Oct. 14, 2022. The Islamic call to prayer is set to sound for the first time from one of Germany’s biggest mosques in Cologne on Friday — but at limited volume. It is part of a project agreed with authorities in the city that has one of the country’s biggest Muslim communities. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

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Prominent mosque in Germany sounds 1st public call to prayer (Original Post) Eugene Oct 2022 OP
One of the things I really want hear in some where like Cairo before I pass on. This is good ... marble falls Oct 2022 #1
Beautiful building! Beautiful acceptance. Alexander Of Assyria Oct 2022 #2
That was my reaction, too. RainCaster Oct 2022 #3
religionists oughta keep their religion to themselves IMO nt msongs Oct 2022 #4
I was lucky to be able to travel to the Middle East on two different occasions, for..... EarnestPutz Jan 2023 #5

marble falls

(61,892 posts)
1. One of the things I really want hear in some where like Cairo before I pass on. This is good ...
Fri Oct 14, 2022, 08:41 AM
Oct 2022

... I miss church bells, too.

RainCaster

(11,485 posts)
3. That was my reaction, too.
Fri Oct 14, 2022, 09:12 AM
Oct 2022

I'm so glad there are people in Europe willing to accept Muslims as they are.

BTW, I love that building's modern take on classic Muslim architecture.

EarnestPutz

(2,562 posts)
5. I was lucky to be able to travel to the Middle East on two different occasions, for.....
Sun Jan 29, 2023, 10:45 PM
Jan 2023

.....extended stays, and have an opportunity to experience the call to prayer firsthand. This was something that I thought might be meaningful, moving, somehow emotional, even for a non-religious person like me. It really was. Five times every day, I heard beautiful poetry sung in the public sphere, as things all around me stopped and people took time to consider the bigger things. Even though I didn’t understand the language, I knew and appreciated the message and it’s universal appeal.

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