New York City allows azan on Fridays and during Ramadan

New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams has announced that the city will permit the azan, the Islamic call to prayer, to be broadcasted at designated times every Friday and during the holy month of Ramadan.

Under the new rules, Adams said, mosques will not need a special permit to publicly broadcast the Islamic call to prayer on Fridays and at sundown during the holy month of Ramadan.

Friday is the traditional Islamic holy day, and Muslims break their fast at sunset during Ramadan, reports AP.

The police department’s community affairs bureau will work with mosques to communicate the new guidelines and ensure that devices used to broadcast the azan are set to appropriate decibel levels, Adams said. Houses of worship can broadcast up to 10 decibels over the ambient sound level, the mayor’s office said.

“For too long, there has been a feeling that our communities were not allowed to amplify their calls to prayer,” Adams said.

“Today, we are cutting red tape and saying clearly that mosques and houses of worship are free to amplify their call to prayer on Fridays and during Ramadan without a permit necessary.”