REGINA — A controversial call to prayer broadcast at a downtown Regina mosque has resumed.
The Regina City Jamia Masjid is now permitted to broadcast the prayer for roughly three minutes every Friday at noon after survey results showed noise was not the main concern.
“Based on the survey feedback, what we find is the issue is not the sound. The issue is Islam as a religion,” said Regina City Jamia Masjid director M. Anisur Rahaman on Tuesday.
The mosque held the survey on July 17, with an in-person option available for seven hours, while residents could also provide feedback by email or phone.
In total, Regina City Jamia Masjid received roughly 219 responses, of which 12 were deemed invalid because the postal codes could not be verified.
Within the area where the broadcast could be heard, 22 of the 30 respondents said they opposed the prayer. However, Rahaman attributed that opposition to misinformation.
“Some of them think that we are starting the call to prayer once a week and ending at five times a day. There are also some of them who mentioned that the Canadian fast-food restaurants are becoming halal restaurants. Some of them also mentioned that Canada is a Christian country.”
The uncertainty and confusion surrounding the mosque’s first call-to-prayer broadcast in June led the mosque to suspend future broadcasts until community consultation was completed.
The original broadcast had received a month-long noise amplification permit from the Regina Police Service (RPS). However, police said the mosque will now need to apply for the permit on a weekly basis.
Rahaman said discussions with police helped create a process that addresses concerns from residents who worried the call to prayer would occur five times a day.
Another change from the first permit is that the prayer will now include an English translation at the end of the broadcast, helping people better understand its meaning.
“We’ve seen misinformation because some people are thinking that ‘Allahu Akbar’ means ‘Allah is great,’ while others are saying it means ‘Allah is greater’ or ‘Allah is the greatest.’ They are confused, but it has those three meanings, so we say ‘Allah is great,’” said Rahaman.
The mosque director said he has no concerns about threats or violence occurring because of the prayer.
“We feel here in the neighbourhood is very safe, and the downtown area, the business owners, people are coming here to work from the multi-faith, multicultural communities. Whoever is living in the Regina area, they’re coming mostly also downtown. So we find this area is very safe, and also the Regina Police Service is very active here.”
Rahaman said meetings with the RPS and community consultants will continue to ensure everyone remains on the same page about the broadcast.
