The leadership of the Al-Bahr (“Sea") Mosque in Jaffa reported that in recent days it received several fines from the Nature and Parks Authority over the broadcasting of the call to prayer through the mosque’s loudspeaker system.
In a joint statement issued by the mosque and Islamic organizations in Jaffa - the elected Islamic body, the Islamic Waqf Committee, and the Islamic Da’wah Committee - it was stated that the move is viewed with great severity, as it comes against the backdrop of what they described as “an ongoing campaign targeting mosques and the Arab and Islamic presence in the historic cities, foremost among them Jaffa, Ramla, Lod, Acre, and Haifa."
The statement, published on the “Yaffa 48" website, further claimed that this campaign intensifies during Knesset election periods, during which, according to the organizations, mosques and Muslim practices are once again used as a basis for “incitement."
The Islamic organizations in Jaffa emphasized that the call to prayer is not a noise nuisance, but rather an authentic religious ritual and an inseparable part of the identity of the land, its history, and its heritage spanning hundreds of years.
“We completely reject any attempt to harm freedom of worship, restrict mosques, or turn religious rituals into a subject of persecution and targeting," the statement said.
After holding an urgent meeting on the issue, the Islamic organizations decided to take all necessary legal measures to have the fines canceled and to defend the right of Muslims to conduct their religious rituals freely and with dignity, while preventing the imposition of a new reality that would harm the status of mosques or their historical and religious role.
“The sound of the call to prayer will continue to be heard from the mosques of Jaffa as it has been for hundreds of years - as a symbol of faith, belonging, and steadfastness, and the campaigns of incitement and pressure will not succeed in uprooting something that is deeply rooted in this land and in the consciousness of its residents," the Islamic organizations stressed.