St. Louis, Mo., Apr 18, 2023 / 15:00 pm
The mayor of Minneapolis on Monday signed into law a new ordinance allowing the Islamic call to prayer, or adhan, to be broadcast on loudspeakers from the city’s nearly two dozen mosques five times a day, including at dawn and late evening.
The new ordinance is expected to take effect on Friday after passing the city council unanimously and gaining the approval of Mayor Jacob Frey, who likened the call to prayer to the ringing of church bells and the Jewish shofar. The previous ordinance restricted the adhan practice to between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.
The change makes Minneapolis the first major U.S. city to allow the Islamic call to prayer to be broadcast at all hours of the day.
Minneapolis is home to a large Somali immigrant population, which is clustered in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood near the city’s downtown. Three of the 13 city council members for Minneapolis are Muslim and pushed for the change in ordinance, MPR News reported.