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A downtown Regina mosque is pausing its outdoor call to prayer while it gathers feedback from neighbours and the broader community after last week’s first broadcast sparked support, criticism and threats.
The Regina City Jamia Masjid broadcast the Islamic call to prayer over a rooftop loudspeaker last Friday under a trial permit. Mosque spokesperson M. Anisur Rahaman said the broadcast would not take place this Friday, as leaders need time to listen.
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“We thought that today we should give a pause,” Rahaman said.
Rahaman said the mosque met with other Islamic organizations and Regina police after receiving negative comments and threats online.
“What they are saying is they are not feeling safe as a minority, like a Muslim,” Rahaman said. “They’re thinking that we need more dialogue to understand what exactly are the problems that can happen in the future.”
Rahaman said the mosque received mixed reaction after a recording of the call to prayer was posted online.
He said the sound itself was not loud, and the speaker volume was set at about 30 per cent.
“Everything went very good because the sound volume was not that loud, and the sound was very soft,” he said.
But Rahaman said the online reaction changed the conversation.
“We have received positive and also negative reviews,” he said. “Based on that, we thought that we should have a second meeting with all media to understand what exactly we need to do.”
Rahaman said one threat involved someone saying they would remove the rooftop speaker.
“The speaker on the rooftop, they are coming and they are taking it out,” he said, describing one message. “So that was one threat.”
He said another caller was angry because they did not understand what was being said in Arabic. Rahaman said after he explained the meaning of the call to prayer, the conversation became calmer.
“Because we do not understand, that’s why we are afraid,” Rahaman said, describing what the caller told him.
Rahaman said the mosque may consider translating the call to prayer into English at the beginning so people understand what is being said.
“Then they will have understanding that we are not saying anything wrong or against them,” he said.
The call to prayer, known as the Adhan, invites Muslims to prayer. Rahaman said the words include “Allah is great” and “come to pray.”
The mosque plans to collect feedback over the next two weeks, focusing on neighbours and people who work downtown.
“Our first concern is the neighbours,” Rahaman said.
He said the mosque will distribute printed surveys and allow people to respond anonymously.
“We are not collecting any name, any contact information,” he said. “Anybody who wants, they can participate.”
Rahaman said the feedback will help decide whether the Friday broadcast continues.
“If we see that, for the greater community, this is not bringing a positive impact for the Muslim community, then we would also prefer not to continue this,” he said.
The mosque had planned to broadcast the call once a week before Friday prayers. Rahaman said there are no plans to broadcast it five times a day.
Regina police have said threats connected to the issue are being investigated and patrols around places of worship have been increased.
Rahaman said the mosque still hopes to find a way forward through dialogue.
“This is just a beginning,” he said. “We believe that at the beginning there should have some dialogue, discussion.”
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