Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story misidentified the agency responsible for granting a permit to the mosque. It is the Regina Police Service, not city council.
A mosque in Regina was granted a permit allowing it to play the Adhan, a call to prayer, outdoors after pausing the ritual due to threats earlier this summer.
In June, the Regina Police Service granted the Regina City Jamia Masjid a month-long permit to deliver the call to prayer weekly on Fridays, before that day’s midday prayer, known as Jummah.
The recent, week-long permit was issued by police in accordance with the city’s noise-related bylaw, after members of the mosque surveyed some Regina residents last month. At that time, they said all of the responses received would be turned over to the Regina Police Service (RPS), who granted the permit in late July.
“Based on the information provided to the RPS, the request falls within City of Regina bylaw requirements. As such, the permit was re-issued on a week-to-week basis,” police wrote in an email statement to Global News Tuesday.
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This type of permit requires the mosque to apply to be allowed to play the Adhan weekly, the RPS continued. Permits are granted after considering factors — including the length and volume of the audio, the zoning of the area where the sound will be played and the time of day it will be broadcast.
Adhan is recited for less than three minutes. During the past call to prayer at the Regina City Jamia Masjid, it said the sound played from speakers sitting atop the facility.
In a post celebrating the permit approval on Friday, the mosque said the decision helps support “mutual respect” and religious freedoms in Regina.
In this day and age the is no reason for this call, the flock can easily get phone notifications and not disturb the population at large.
I don’t know why the call to prayer can’t be done on individual cell phones so not to disturb others. I don’t want to hear it so do many many others
Man if I lived there and heard that… I’d be driving my car right there and cranking some Twisted Sister We’re Not Going to Take It. Absolutely drown out that noise. No need to play prayers on speakers outdoors. I don’t care what religion it is. Jewish, Catholic, Islam, Buddhism, what ever… Keep that stuff private or contained indoors at the minimum.
It’s either that or we need our Catholic Churches to start blasting their prayers everyday as well. Fair is fair right?
Time to start a month-long rock concert right next door. Or just grow a pair and get them out of your city. We chased ours away, it took a while but we drove them out. The problem is you let the mosque get built. And if you build it, they will come.
Regina just put a huge target on this Mosque. Bunch of idiots running the city.
Like mark Carney always says..
Allah Akbar
Ew.