In hopes of clearing up confusion and addressing concerns, the Regina City Jamia Masjid (RCJM) will include English translations as part of its weekly call to prayer. The mosque’s director M Anisur Rahaman said the decision comes after feedback RCJM has received about people wanting to understand what is being said in the broadcast. Last week, the downtown mosque received approval from the city to broadcast a call to prayer (Adhan) on Fridays at a midday. Moving forward, the Adhan will be translated in English after the first broadcast is said in Arabic. Rahaman said the initial broadcast will last about two to three minutes. In late July, many citizens of the Queen City took part in RCJM’s survey surrounding its call to prayer broadcast. According to the mosque, it received 219 responses – including a mix of support and opposition. Rahaman says the main purpose of the survey was to gather community feedback and attempt to quell any misinformation that Regina citizens may have about the purpose of the broadcast. “Some of them, they think that we are starting [the] call to prayer at once a week and it will end up being five times a day,” he told media Tuesday. The survey was proposed after online backlash and reported threats made towards the mosque, which caused RCJM to put the Adhan on pause. RCJM invited residents, workers, as well as business and property owners to participate in the in-person survey – hoping to have meaningful public engagement and understanding before continuing with the Adhan. The Regina Police Service (RPS), who had the final say in approving the application for the broadcast, were unavailable for an interview on Tuesday. However, RPS did issue a statement, saying RCJM’s permit request met the City of Regina’s bylaw requirements. “As such, the permit was re-issued on a week-to-week basis. The applicant will need to apply weekly to ensure the request continues to fall within the bylaw requirements,” read RPS’s statement. Police added that public opinion, surveys and other correspondence aren’t factored into its decision to approve permits under the Noise Abatement Bylaw. The factors RPS considers under the bylaw include: length of sound, the type of area (residential, mixed-use, etc.), the time of day and volume/sound pressure. For Rahaman and the mosque, the goal moving forward is to form a coalition with as many religious leaders as possible in the city in order to educate people, with or without faith, about freedom of religion. “The issue is Islam as a religion, so we’ve found this problem and that is why we are working with the other religious leaders,” Rahaman explained.
