Cologne muezzin call: permanent permission despite protests!

Cologne muezzin call: permanent permission despite protests!

Köln, Deutschland - Cologne (NRW) - Curtain up for the muezzin, which can go further in the heart of Cologne! Two years full of controversy and heated debates now result in a permanent permission for the Islamic call to prayer from the Ditib Central Mosque Ehrenfeld. Cologne is the first German city to take a future -oriented step that should not only make waves in Germany.

Review: In October 2022, Imam Mustafa Kader was the first muezzin to be silent in the cathedral city. His reputation "Allah is big" sounded at 1:24 p.m., accompanied by angry protests at the mosque vestation. Women in particular drew attention to themselves with demonstrations, in protest against attacks on Iranians who rebel against the headscarf bid. Despite the noise of the protests, the city of Cologne set caution: The call for prayer was limited to the requirement not to sound louder than 60 decibels, a volume that corresponds to a normal conversation.

decision in Cologne: A sign of tolerance or power struggle?

The muezzin call was initially tested as a pilot project for two years. But the concerns faded after no violations of the contract. The permanent approval is now very important to the city of Cologne. Thus, the voice of muezzin will in future teach the city for five minutes between 12 and 3 p.m.

A thorn in the eye for some observers is the connection of the Ditib to the Turkish state, more precisely to President Erdogan. Human rights activist Mina Ahadi finds clear words about the move: "This is not tolerance, but a mighty sign of political Islam," she says bitingly. Her criticism, the deeper political dimension of the Muezzin call, is based on her escape from Iran in 1990.

In an era in which religious signs are observed closely, Germany in Cologne faces this challenge - and allows the call of muezzin to become a symbol of a controversial modernity in the region.