Minneapolis to allow Muslim prayers from mosque loudspeakers ahead of Ramadan

Minneapolis, home to one of America's largest Somali communities, has passed a resolution allowing for the call to prayer to be broadcast from mosque loudspeakers.

The resolution, proposed by council member Jamal Osman, will allow for the broadcasts between 7am and 10pm and with a volume no higher than 15 decibels, in line with local noise ordinances.

Sharing a picture of the document on Twitter, the council member wrote: "Today the council passed a resolution commemorating Ramadan. It was an honour to help carry it and help share my faith with the city.

The City of Minneapolis, MN will allow the public broadcasting of the Adhan - the Islamic Call to Prayer - during #Ramadan. Beautiful. pic.twitter.com/Bz6b5j27k1

— Khaled Beydoun (@KhaledBeydoun) March 28, 2022

"One of the notable things with this resolution was we acknowledged that the call to prayer was legal in Minneapolis. 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."

He described the decision as a sign of equality and shows what the Somali community has built in the city.

"This is America and we are allowed to share our faith from the rooftops, just like everyone else," he added.

The implementation of the resolution comes just in time for the holy month of Ramadan, which starts at the beginning of April.

Minneapolis has now joined three other US cities in allowing mosques to broadcast the call to prayer: Hamtramck and Dearborn in Michigan and Paterson, New Jersey, all with large Muslim communities.