HAMTRAMCK, Mich., April 29 (UPI) -- A Hamtramck, Mich., mosque said it will issue a five daily calls to prayer over a loudspeaker unless the city mayor vetos an ordinance amendment.
The city's noise ordinance was amended by a unanimous City Council vote that will allow the Bangladeshi al-Islah mosque to carry the call to prayer between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
The amendment will take effect 20 days after it is officially published unless vetoed by Mayor Thomas Jankowski, who has no plans to do so, WDIV-TV Detroit reported Thursday.
The loudspeaker prayers have caused ethnic and religious friction in Hamtramck, a city of 23,000.
Some Muslims have said the call is the equivalent of church bells, but opponents argue that church bells have no religious significance and allowing the Islamic call unfairly elevates the religion above others.
