German city of Cologne permits broadcast of muezzin's call

The German city of Cologne will start permitting mosques to broadcast muezzin calls for prayer

BERLIN -- The German city of Cologne will start permitting mosques to broadcast muezzin calls for prayer, the city said Monday.

The calls can be broadcast for five minutes every week for the Friday prayer around noon and audible outside the Muslim houses of prayer, city spokeswoman Katja Reuter said.

Cologne mosques need to apply for a special permit in order to be able to broadcast the call. The initiative will be limited to two years and then be re-evaluated.

The city's mayor welcomed the decision, saying that “if in addition to the sounds of the church bells we also hear the call of the muezzin, it shows that in Cologne diversity is valued and lived.”