MINNEAPOLIS — Just days before the holy month of Ramadan begins, those in the Muslim community will now be able to hear the call to prayer from the comfort of their home.
"So the city council passed a resolution that is going to allow folks to hear the call of prayer, called the adhan, to be played across Minneapolis ahead of the month of Ramadan," said Mohamed Ibrahim, deputy director with CAIR-MN.
Minneapolis is home to one of the largest populations of Somali and East Africans in the nation.
"To Muslims, it is something that indicates it's almost time to pray, and normally, they rely on apps, or cell phones, but actually hearing it is something that warms the peoples' hearts," he said.
Back in 2020, Mayor Jacob Frey facilitated a noise permit to allow the call to prayer to be broadcast by loudspeaker five times a day in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood for Ramadan during COVID-19 restrictions.
"For the elders that were living in those towers, to have a sense of community and make it through COVID-19," he said.
Council member Jamal Osman said in a statement posted on Twitter, "The Adhan is one of the most important parts of our faith, and the ability to do it during the day has been in the city's code all along."
The call of prayer is allowed to be broadcast during the hours of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Although Ibrahim says its a step in the right direction, he says there's still a long way to go toward full inclusivity.
"We pray five times a day, not three times a day, and we hope that we have recognition by the city that we are including the morning and late night evening prayer, especially with the summer coming up," he said referring to prayers that happen before the 7 a.m. timeframe and after 10 p.m.
"But I think this is an opportunity for groups that feel unheard, to be seen and be heard," he said.
Ramadan begins at dusk on April 1.
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