The call to prayer in Islam, or adhan, as it’s known in Arabic, has come under the spotlight in South Africa. Fed up with hearing the call to prayer from a neighbouring Islamic education centre in Durban, a resident took the centre to court alleging the call amounted to “nuisance noise”. The court agreed, ruling that the centre should only announce the call to prayer within the confines of its walls.
In today’s episode of Pasha, Thomas Coggin, a senior lecturer in property law at the University of Witwatersrand, discusses the case, the laws and rights surrounding it, as well as the judge’s decision and its impact.
Photo Adhan Call icon. By T Vector Icons found on Shutterstock.
Sound “Azaan” By Jigmet, found on FreeSound licensed under Attribution license.
Music “Happy African Village” by John Bartmann, found on FreeMusicArchive.org licensed under CC0 1.
“Arabic 2-4” by nemaavla, found on FreeSound licensed under Creative commons license.