religion
Muezzin call in Cologne possibly from October 14th
The Central Mosque in Cologne-Ehrenfeld. Muezzins will soon be allowed to call to prayer. photo
© Christoph Driessen/dpa
In addition to the ringing of church bells, the call of muezzins could soon be heard over Cologne. In a pilot project, the city wants to allow the central mosque to call to prayer over loudspeakers.
At Cologne’s central mosque in the Ehrenfeld district, the muezzin could call for prayer over loudspeakers from October 14. A spokeswoman for the city of Cologne said on Sunday that only a few small things had to be improved before the Turkish-Islamic Union Ditib could conclude a corresponding contract with the city. “The city expects that this can happen at short notice, so that in all likelihood the muezzin could call after mid-October.” The “Rheinische Post” had previously reported.
The muezzin may then call for Friday prayers once between 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. for a maximum duration of five minutes. Since it is a pilot project, the contract is limited to two years, said the spokeswoman. The Ditib must also inform the residents with a flyer and name a contact person.
A year ago, Cologne declared that mosque communities would be able to call their believers to prayer in the future, upon request and subject to conditions. The city refers to the freedom of religious practice enshrined in the Basic Law. While the bells rang in Christian churches to call the faithful to worship, in the mosques of Muslim faith communities it was the muezzin’s calls that served this purpose.