Christian party in Netherlands proposes ban on mosque's calls to prayer
A Christian political party in the Netherlands is calling for a ban on the daily calls to prayer of mosques.
According to NL Times, the proposal is part of the campaign of the Reformed Political Party (Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij or SGP) which is scheduled to be released in two weeks.
"We're not in the Middle East here. We don't have to find it normal that at so many times, with that volume, 'Allah is great' blares through the street," SGP leader Kees van der Staaij said. "We have recently seen more and more irritation arise about these prayer calls," he added.
According to Van der Staaij, the ban would not require any constitutional changes and stated that it is possible to restrict the prayer calls through the public demonstrations law.
Home Affairs Minister Ronald Plasterk said that the call to prayer is guaranteed by the Dutch Constitution in Article 6 as part of its protection of the freedom of religion. Plasterk stated that the rules that apply to mosques' prayer calls are also applicable to church bells.
The Dutch Moroccan Mosque Council (RMMN) is confounded by the proposal. The group's spokesperson, Said Bouharrou, said that very few mosques in the Netherlands are broadcasting prayer calls.
He said that only the mosques in Utrecht, Roosendaal and Enschede are carrying out the daily call to prayer but it still has to obey the strict noise limits.
"We're not really sure what the SGP wants to achieve," Bouharrou said, as quoted by Dutch News. "This is stimulating an anti-Islamic climate and increasing polarisation," he continued.
Anti-Islamic sentiments seem to be increasing in the Netherlands. The Dutch Freedom Party, which is led by controversial politician Geert Wilders, is predicted to win 35 of the 150 seats in the Dutch Parliament.
Wilders has previously called for the "de-Islamification" of the Netherlands. He is scheduled to go on trial on Oct. 31 for a speech he made against Moroccans in 2014.
