Regina mosque calling for public feedback on call to prayers

A mosque in downtown Regina is asking the public for feedback after pausing its public call to prayers following pushback.

A mosque in downtown Regina is asking the public for feedback after pausing its public call to prayers following pushback. The Regina City Jamia Masjid (RCJM) mosque took to social media Tuesday to invite residents, workers, business and property owners in the downtown area to take part in a survey. “The survey asks downtown neighbours what they actually think about it — whatever their faith, and whatever their view,” RCJM wrote in its post.

The in-person survey is planned to take place Friday. On June 20, RCJM broadcast its first live outdoor call to prayer prior to its weekly Jumu’ah congregational prayer. The call was broadcast on loudspeakers and lasted several minutes.

RCJM had secured a permit from the city to hold outdoor calls, with the Regina Police Service (RPS) later noting the broadcast followed the city’s noise bylaws. Despite the measures, a flood of negative comments on social media ensued, with some even threatening to remove the speakers used for the call to prayer. The decision was then made to pause the practice until a public outreach effort could be organized.

RCJM opened two years ago on McIntyre Street in the city’s downtown core. The Muslim call to prayer, known as the adhan, dates back 1,400 years. The adhan is recited for about three minutes and is used to usher Muslims into their places of worship.

With files from The Canadian Press