Usually, people stroll along the banks of the river Elbe in Johannstadt and junk dealers offer their wares for sale on Saturdays. Sunday morning was a completely different picture. Hundreds of Muslims rolled out their prayer mats, celebrated and prayed by the Elbe to mark the Feast of Sacrifice. Not everyone liked the loud calls to prayer that resounded from the Albert Bridge to the “Blaues Wunder”.
Hundreds of Muslims, including those from Pakistan, Syria, Afghanistan, Jordan and Algeria, had gathered on the banks of the Elbe on Sunday morning. Marwa Elsherbiny Cultural Centre
The first shouts could be heard early in the morning – even on the other side of the Elbe. A resident (37) from Löwenstraße reported: “At half past seven, I suddenly woke up to shouts of Allahu-Akbar with the windows closed. That was strange.”
He was not alone in feeling disturbed; according to the police, there were several complaints about the volume. “We spoke to the people responsible and the loudspeakers were turned down,” said a spokesperson. But according to the resident in question, the prayer could be heard as far as the Blaues Wunder just a short time later…
This was not the only sticking point at the event, which was organised by the Marwa Elsherbiny Cultural Centre (MKEZ) association.
The head of the association, Saad Elgazar (57), is labelled a Muslim Brother by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution – and he prayed on Sunday.
According to the city, the event did not require a permit, but was checked by the Environmental Agency for noise concerns. The space was made available via a rental agreement.
Some of the participants in the celebration on the banks of the Elbe regularly pray in the association: Georg (21), for example, who converted to Islam a year ago, wears a beard and is called Junus in Arabic.
“I’ve been a believer for a year, I do all my prayers, I live according to the Koran and the Prophet. That’s why I was there today.”
At the same time, a participating Muslim woman (47) said that only a minority of the Muslims present would attend the MKEZ.
She emphasised the peacefulness of the event: “A few years ago, maybe twenty Muslims celebrated together. With the refugees, there are now more and more, which makes us happy. The celebration today was very harmonious.”
Anwohner in Dresden irritiert: Laute Gebetsrufe am Elbufer (tag24.de)
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