A bill proposing to silence mosque loudspeakers suffered a serious blow today when it was denied a vote by a key committee.
The “mosque bill” proposed by MK Motti Yogev (Jewish Home) would prohibit all houses of prayer from using loudspeakers. The ban was designed to end the loud muezzin call to prayer played from mosque loudspeakers five times a day across the country.
The proposal, which Yogev claimed enjoyed support from the Likud and Kulanu, was removed from Sunday’s agenda in the Ministerial Committee for Legislation.
The committee, made up the governing coalition’s ministers, meet once a week to deliberate what pending legislation to officially endorse. An endorsement by the committee obligates all coalition members to vote in support of the bill, usually ensuring its passage.
In 2011 a similar bill was proposed by MK Anastasia Michaeli (Yisrael Beitenu). The bill won the support of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, yet ultimately failed to pass.