The city of Cologne has decided to allow muezzins to call Muslim believers to prayer from mosques with loud chants, as is customary in the Islamic religion. Ahmad Mansour, an expert on Islamism and integration, accused Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker of naivety regarding the decision and said that the issue cannot be placed solely in the context of religious freedom, as this is rather a "demonstration of the power of political Islam", writes Junge Freiheit in his article .
Mansour's statement comes amid negotiations between the city of Cologne and the Union of Turkish Islamic Religious Institutions (DITIB) over a regulation that would allow the imam to call worshipers to prayer once a week from his city center mosque on the banks of the Rhine. This can happen as early as Friday.
Ahmad Mansour fears that conservative Muslims will feel emboldened and see this as "an important step towards the Islamization of Europe", which would lead to further demands.
The issue of the public muezzin call also raises the question of the equality of Islam in Germany. “Is it really equal? If that is the case, then Muslims can also demand public holidays and more. And now that's exactly what will happen," Mansour predicted.
The Islamic scholar explained that the muezzin's call, unlike church bells, is not just about sound:
"The call of the muezzin is about specific religious messages. This is therefore a clear difference compared to simple ringing".
The initiative has been preoccupying the city of Cologne for some time, Mayor Reker has already received several criticisms. In other cities of North Rhine-Westphalia, similar proposals have already raised tempers. According to a survey conducted in October 2021, the majority of Germans rejected the call of the muezzin.
Source: hirado.hu
Photo: Wikipedia
