JAKARTA - Minneapolis is the first major city in the United States (US) to allow call to prayer broadcasts to be sounded through loudspeakers or often referred to in Indonesia 'Toa' mosques five times a day.
The Minneapolis City Council on Thursday unanimously allowed the call to prayer from mosques despite a policy that regulates noise.
The Minnesota American-Islamic Relations Council (CAIR) advocacy group, which has been urging the council to approve the call to prayer through loudspeakers, said the decision was a historic victory for religious freedom and pluralism.
"We thank the members of the Minneapolis City Council who set this extraordinary example, and we urge other cities to follow suit," Minnesota Liquid Director Jaylani Hussein quoted Antara as saying.
Last year, the Minneapolis City Government restricted the call to prayer times and volume of the votes used, according to CBS News.
However, mosques in Minneapolis from now on will be allowed to sounded the call to prayer from 03.30 in the morning to 11.00 pm.
Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey is expected to sign a law on the azan broadcast within a week, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune newspaper.
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