Rabat- Authorities in the German town of Raunheim, in the Frankfurt Rhein-Main region, have decided to allow the Muslim call to prayer, “Adhan,” to be broadcast over loudspeakers on Friday afternoons.
Mayor Thomas Juhe (SPD) announced the news on Tuesday after the city’s parliament adopted the decision, German news agency DPA reported.
According to the mayor, the call to prayer has been heard in the city every Friday since the summer of 2020. The decision means that the Islamic call to prayer is now equal to church bells, Mayor Juhe explained, adding that the city’s council decided “to formalize this authorization, because the call was only tolerated.”
Raunheim’s decision to “formalize” the Muslim call to prayer follows that of city of Cologne, where, in early October, local authorities allowed mosques to use loudspeakers to broadcast “Adhan” for the Friday prayer.
All 35 mosques in the western German city are now able to play the call for up to five minutes on Fridays between noon and 3 p.m. local time.
Read Also: Germany’s Biggest Mosque to Broadcast ‘Adhan’ for Friday Prayer
Germany’s far-right AfD party stepped up criticism of Cologne’s mayor Henriette Reker for allowing mosques to broadcast calls to prayer on Fridays.
“This gives the impression that Germany is not a Christian country, but a Muslim one. This is not the case,” Matthias Buschges, AfD’s deputy spokesman in Cologne, said in a statement.
One of Germany’s biggest cities, Cologne is home to more than 120,000 Muslims, nearly 12% of the city’s entire population.
A country of over 80 million people, Germany has the second-largest Muslim population in Western Europe after France. Among the country’s nearly 4.7 million Muslims, 3 million are of Turkish origin.
The country has witnessed growing racism and Islamophobia in recent years, fueled by the propaganda of far-right groups and parties, which have attempted to stoke fear of Muslims and immigrants to win more votes.
