Gothamist.com
New NYPD rules will allow mosques in New York City to broadcast the Muslim call to prayer without a permit.
Under the rules change, broadcast of the adhan — as the chant is called in Arabic — will be allowed every Friday from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. and every evening during the holy month of Ramadan, the yearly holiday of fasting, prayer, reflection and community service. Under prior rules, permits were required.
“For too long, there has been confusion about which communities are allowed to amplify their calls to prayer,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a Tuesday press conference at City Hall. “Today, we are cutting red tape and saying clearly, if you are a mosque or house of worship of any kind, you do not have to apply for a permit to amplify your call to Friday prayer.”
He added, “You are free to live your faith in New York City.”
The new policies take aim at Muslims, whose numbers are expanding both city and countrywide. Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world and North America, according to the Pew Research Center.
The New York City metropolitan area is home to one of the largest concentrations of Muslim residents in the U.S., according to a report earlier this year by the CUNY Graduate Center for the New York City Districting Commission.
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