Israeli bill to restrict call to prayer passes preliminary parliament reading

Israeli bill to restrict call to prayer passes preliminary parliament reading An Israeli bill to restrict the adhan, the Muslim call to prayer, passed a preliminary reading in parliament on Wednesday. Palestinians condemned the legislation as a "declaration of religious war" and an attack on freedom of worship. The bill passed by 50 votes to 36 and must now be referred to a Knesset committee before returning for its first reading. It would then need to pass second and third readings before becoming law. The legislation was introduced by Zvika Fogel, a lawmaker from National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's party. Under the proposal, mosques would be prohibited from installing or operating loudspeaker systems without a permit. Permits would be granted according to criteria set by the Israeli authorities, including noise levels, sound-reduction measures, a mosque's location, its proximity to residential areas and its impact on nearby residents. Read more: Israeli bill to restrict call to prayer passes preliminary parliament reading A view of the Bosnian Mosque in Caesarea, Israel (IMAGO/Christian Offenberg via Reuters)