The main mosque in Cologne will broadcast the call of the muezzin for the first time – Le Figaro

The event, which concerns a mosque inaugurated in 2018 by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, follows a decision taken last year by the town hall of the German city.The central mosque in Cologne, one of the largest cities in Germany, will broadcast for the first time from Friday the call of the muezzin to prayer, the sound volume and the frequency of the announcements being however reduced. The call of the muezzin will sound for five minutes between 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., depending on the position of the sun, from the Ditib mosque, located in the Ehrenfeld district of the city (northwest). pilot conducted with the city of Cologne, which notably requires religious authorities to inform local residents and limit the sound volume of the call, which should only be audible in the area close to the mosque. extending the religious tax to MuslimsHenriette Reker, mayor of the metropolis of more than a million inhabitants famous for its imposing Gothic cathedral, sees in this initiative “a sign of respect” and “an example of mutual acceptance of religion “. Several German cities have already given the green light to this type of call, in particular in the region of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populated in the country. “We are very happy with this contract with the city of Cologne. The public call to prayer is a sign of Muslim belonging,” Abdurrahman Atasoy, vice-president of the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (Ditib), said in the local press. “This is an important step in the perception of Muslim religious communities as part of society,” he argued. Read also When Ankara invites itself to Turkish mosques in Germany Inaugurated in 2018 by the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the mosque is, with its 55 meter high minarets and a large 36 meter dome, one of the most imposing in Europe. Located in the district of Ehrenfeld, not far from the Cologne television tower, its area reaches 4,500 m2. The city has approximately 100,000 Muslims, or 10% of its population. The project has drawn criticism, particularly motivated by Ditib’s ties to Ankara. Ditib is regularly accused in Germany of defending the interests of Turkish President Erdogan’s regime because it runs 900 places of worship in Germany with imams from Turkey . Her detractors even claim that she spies on opponents of the Turkish president. Germany has between 5.3 and 5.6 million Muslims, or 6.4 to 6.7% of the population. SEE ALSO – The Salafist mosque in Obernai has been closed