• One of Germany’s largest mosques has played the Muslim call to prayer for the first time.
• The event was part of a two-year project agreed upon with local authorities in Cologne.
• More than 100,000 Muslims live in Cologne, one of the country’s fourth-largest cities.

One of Germany’s largest mosques, in Cologne, has played the Muslim call to prayer for the first time, albeit at a low volume, as part of a project agreed upon with local authorities in the city that is home to one of the country’s largest Muslim populations.

In the fourth-largest city in Germany, authorities last year made it possible for mosques to request permission to call for prayer for up to five minutes on Fridays between noon and three o’clock, with a volume restriction determined for each mosque based on its location.

Although it wasn’t Germany’s first time hearing the call to prayer, Friday’s event made it to a mosque that was particularly well-known.

In the Ehrenfeld neighbourhood, to the west of the city centre, the Central Mosque is a contemporary structure with two tall minarets. There is space for 1,200 worshipers in the gigantic glass and concrete tower, which is shaped like a flower bud.

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Inaugurated in 2018 by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs, or DITIB, is in charge of running it.

The call to prayer was only audible inside the building up to this point.

On Wednesday, a deal was reached with the city for a two-year trial of the call, according to DITIB. Although it should be limited to 60 decibels for close people, authorities stated it will be broadcast through a loudspeaker and be audible outside.

“We’re very happy,” Abdurrahman Atasoy, DITIB general secretary told reporters on Thursday. “The public call to prayer is a sign that Muslims are at home here.”

According to the mayor of Cologne, permitting the call to prayer demonstrates that the city values diversity.

However, the project’s limitations highlight how delicate the topic is. Right-wing organizations, Cologne’s then-archbishop, and others opposed the building of the Central Mosque in the late 2000s.

More than 5 million Muslims live in Germany, making up around 6% of the country’s total population. More than 100,000 Muslims live in Cologne, a city famous for its enormous Dom Cathedral.

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