The Muslim call to prayer or adhan was recited for the first time on Friday, November 15, in Amsterdam, as locals stood outside and recorded the emotional moment on their cell phones, Daily Sabah reported.
Mosque spokesman Nourdeen Wildeman told Anadolu Agency that they were happy and honored to hear the Adhan over the speakers despite the delay.
The Blue Mosque had originally planned the Adhan last Friday, but the cable of the audio system was cut by unidentified individuals.
Wildeman noted that 7% of the mosques in the Netherlands have been reciting the Adhan over the speakers for years. Yet, he noted that it was the first time for the capital city.
“There are different reactions from the locals. Some criticize it but in general the reactions are positive,” he said.
Mosque-goers and locals stood outside and recorded the emotional moment on their cell phones.
Ursula van Spronsen, a local, said she came to the mosque for the first time to hear the Adhaan and it sounded nice.
Islam in the Netherlands
Islam is the second-largest religion in the Netherlands, practiced by 4% of the population according to 2010–11 estimates. Most reside in the nation’s four major cities, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht.
The early history of Islam in the Netherlands can be traced to the 16th century when a small number of Ottoman traders began settling in the nation’s port cities.
As a result, improvised mosques were first created in Amsterdam in the early 17th century.
There are around 500 mosques across the Netherlands.
Adhan in the West
The adhan is the call to announce that it is time for a particular obligatory Salah (ritual prayer).
Muslims in the West often face hassles in making the call to prayer, with local authorities arguing that the call would cause noise disturbance to residents.
In the Netherlands where freedom of religion is protected by the Constitution, it is allowed for all religions to call its believers to worship by a law regulated in 1980.
Under the law, the municipalities can limit the duration and volume of the Adhaan, but cannot ban it.
In April 2013, worshippers at the Fittja mosque in southern Stockholm heard Sweden’s first-ever call to prayer.
Islam is the second-largest religion in the Netherlands, practiced by 4% of the population according to 2010–11 estimates. Most reside in the nation’s four major cities, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht.
The early history of Islam in the Netherlands dates to the 16th century when a small number of Ottoman traders began settling in the nation’s port cities.
As a result, Amsterdam had its first improvised mosques in the early 17th century.