Wherever there is a debate in Germany about whether a mosque is allowed to use loudspeaker systems to broadcast the muezzin’s call to the neighbourhood, there is inevitably a controversial discourse. This was also the case in Gelsenkirchen at the beginning of last year, when the council for integration had heated, loud and emotional discussions about the Green Party’s proposal to make the Islamic call to prayer possible once a day at two locations in the south and north of the city.
In the end, this could not be implemented legally and politically. Nevertheless, the Ditib mosque in the Hassel district of Gelsenkirchen on the street Am Freistuhl 14-16 made a daily muezzin call during the fasting month of Ramadan. Since at that time, due to the pandemic, it was not possible to pray together in the mosque to break the fast at sunset, the mosque association decided to do so.
The editors were not aware of any complaints from the neighbourhood of the mosque last year. This year, the situation is somewhat different. At least once it was “clumsy” that even on Good Friday the muezzin’s call rang out in the district, although in commemoration of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ not even church bells rang out on that day, residents report to the newspaper WAZ.
“I was astonished to learn that the Hassel Ditib association had the muezzin call for prayers on Good Friday of all days,” said Christoph Klug, an FDP councillor, who was asked about this by some Gelsenkirchen citizens at the weekend. “I consider this action insensitive, even though it is Ramadan,” says Klug. “I would have liked to see more consideration and understanding for the Christian community, for whom Easter and especially Good Friday are the highest holidays next to Christmas.
Despite several attempts, the Hassel mosque community could not be addressed by the editorial team, and promised callbacks had not been received by the time this article was published.
Residents report that there is also “a certain resentment” about the fact that the neighbourhood was not informed beforehand that the mosque will again make the daily muezzin call in April 2022. The question is whether the mosque association even has a permit for this?
” It does not require it”, explains a spokesperson for the city of Gelsenkirchen when asked. As long as the call to prayer does not exceed the maximum volume of 55 decibels stipulated in the Technical Instructions on Noise Abatement (TA Lärm), the mosque can sound whatever it wants and as often as it wants over its loudspeakers outside the night’s rest. A separate immission control permit is not required if the applicable immission control values according to TA Lärm are complied with.