EXTENSION OF CALL TO PRAYER TIMES

Dear Editor,

The Masjid Umar mosque has applied to the City Council for permission to extend the call for prayer time from 8pm to 9.45pm. As a local resident, I object to this. The calling is too noisy at this time of night and disturbs people who live nearby.

Name and Address supplied

REPLY ABOUT ‘EXTENSION OF CALL TO PRAYER TIMES'

Dear Editor,

Thank you for informing me about this complaint and giving me an opportunity to reply.

We have had an agreement with the Leicester City Council to broadcast the ‘Adhaan' (Call for Prayer) to Sunset time during the summer months since 2002 and broadcasting has been taking place since then. We applied for a licence recently in order to ratify the agreement. Complaints with regard to broadcasting times have only emerged since we submitted this formal application.

One might question why complaints haven't materialised earlier, if local residents have been truly disturbed.

The ‘Call for Prayer' lasts an average of three minutes and the key message transmitted is to invite all to ‘Come to prayers' or ‘Come and seek guidance'. This is not considered to be a nuisance in comparison to loud music or fireworks, which on many occasions last for longer periods and into the earlier hours of morning.

I need to point out that the application is for an extension up to sunset time. At the peak of summer (21st June) this will be at 21.32, from then on it will get earlier.

We will continue working with the neighbourhood and listen to their concerns and have done so by limiting the call duration from our original proposal of five minutes.

Gulam Husain