Today the first muezzin call from the Erdogan Mosque |
“Allahu Akbar” above the roofs of Cologne
Cologne – On Friday at 1.24 p.m. the call in Arabic was heard for the first time over the roofs of the city of Cologne: “Allahu Akbar” (God is great)! At the central mosque of the Turkish-Islamic Union (Ditib) on Venloer Strasse in Ehrenfeld, a muezzin will call the faithful to prayer every Friday via loudspeaker.
The first “muezzin caller” is Imam Mustafa Kader (29, active in the community for two years): “I’m very excited!”
The pilot project, in which a call to prayer is broadcast on the streets in front of the mosque for a maximum of five minutes on Friday between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m., is initially to last for two years. The Ditib must adhere to conditions. For example, the muezzin call to the residents of the mosque may only be heard at a maximum volume of 60 decibels.
The Ditib Mosque in Ehrenfeld
The project was highly controversial from the start. The critics accuse the city of Cologne, of all things, of Ditib, an association reporting to the Turkish authorities and thus to the Turkish President, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (68), of having given an opportunity to publicly demonstrate power.
The Muslim women’s rights activist Seyran Ates (59) criticizes the decision: The Cologne Ditib Mosque is “Erdogan’s long arm”, according to Ates. “German society is increasingly divided by such actions.”
dr Zekeriya Altug from Ditib, on the other hand: “For us, this step means a bit more respect and acceptance.”