Mayor Eric Adams and New York Police Department Commissioner Edward A. Caban of New York City are leading an unprecedented move that will allow the Islamic call to prayer, the Adhan, to be audibly echoed throughout the city. This is to promote religious tolerance and cultural acceptance, according to Mayor Eric Adams who announced the plan Tuesday.
In continuing efforts to build a city free of both disrespect for other religions and harassment for personal beliefs, the mayor set out new rules governing the Adhan, under which, mosques will not need a special permit to publicly broadcast the Islamic call to prayer on Fridays and at sundown during the holy month of Ramadan.
The community affairs office of the police department will work with mosques regarding Adhan sound guidelines and ensure proper decibel levels for transmission devices, allowing houses of worship to broadcast up to ten decibels.
Mayor Adams declared, “For too long, there has been a feeling that our communities were not allowed to amplify their calls to prayer. . . . Today, we are cutting red tape and saying clearly that mosques and houses of worship are free to amplify their call to prayer on Fridays and during Ramadan without a permit being necessary.”
This initiative was warmly embraced by Muslim community in New York City. Afaf Nasher, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ New York branch, said in a statement: “the sound of the Adhan is not just a call to prayer; it is a call to unity, reflection, and community. . . . We believe that this action will contribute to greater understanding and appreciation of the Muslim community’s values and traditions.”
Muslim Community Center of Brooklyn’s Imam Abdullah Salem expressed his gratitude for this move, stating “I am so grateful to be able to hear it again right here in my own city.”
As stated by Ideal Islamic School Principal Somaia Ferozi, kids struggle to keep their Muslim identity, with some frightened to share it and others uncertain. Hearing the call to prayer in public during holidays, affirms their city’s identity and their right to worship with everyone else.