Ministers approve bill to quiet Muslim prayer call

13 November 2016, 9:03 pm

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The Ministerial Committee of Legislation today approved a bill to bar mosques from using loudspeaker systems for the Muslim call to prayer.

Ahead of the vote, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he supports the initiative, pointing to similar legislation in Europe.

The prayer calls, traditionally announced through minarets five times a day and often amplified with loudspeakers, have been a frequent target of right-wing ire, with some claiming they are an unnecessarily loud nuisance that echoes in Jewish towns and neighborhoods.

Arab lawmakers attacked the proposal as a hate-fueled assault on Muslim freedom of religion.

The approval means that the measure will now receive coalition backing as it moves through the Knesset.