Crowds gathered around Amsterdam’s Blue Mosque this afternoon, the mosque attendees thrilled that the afternoon call to prayer would be broadcast over the loudspeakers for the first time. But at showtime, there was only silence.Â
The people of the mosque were left shocked after the call to prayer failed to play. A spokesperson for the mosque says that a cable was cut in what was likely a ‘boyish prank’.
The spokesperson said the moment was painful. “We were full of excitement and there were many people outside. To our surprise, nothing sounded,” he told RTL Nieuws.
Why was the call to prayer sabotaged?
The matter has been attracting controversial attention for weeks after the Blue Mosque in Amsterdam announced it would make the call to prayer broadcast through the loudspeaker system on Friday afternoons.
Residents and the city council opposed the change, with Mayor Femke Halsema describing it as “unnecessary and no longer of this time.” However, the call to prayer is protected by the constitution and so the plan to amplify the sound went ahead, only to be stopped by the saboteurs.
What do you think of the plan to amplify the call to prayer at the Blue Mosque in Amsterdam? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Feature Image: Arch/Wikimedia Commons
If catholic churches can ring their bells, mosques can broadcast their call to prayer.
If you can ignore the church bells, you can ignore a call to prayer.
This is a hard question, but if we are tolerant then I agree with you.