Melilla Restricts Mosque’s Call to Prayer Hours Amid Noise Complaints

Daniel Ventura, municipal councilor for the Environment, interviewed by El Faro de Melilla, justified this measure by explaining that it only concerned the Central Mosque, identified as the main source of noise pollution in the historic center. He insisted that the municipal technicians had only applied the law and that any inaction on their part would have constituted a "crime of prevarication". Ventura also specified that this restriction aimed to "not prejudice the entire Muslim community for a single mosque".

Despite the efforts of the municipality to minimize the impact of this measure, the CIM expressed its "rejection" in a press release, denouncing a "disproportionate restriction" infringing on religious freedom. The councilor said he was "surprised" by this reaction, recalling that a meeting had been held with the president of the CIM, Farid Abdel-Lah, to discuss the issue and consider solutions, including the possibility of reducing the sound volume of the call to prayer. "The subject has been treated with a lot of sensitivity, because we do not want to have a negative impact on religious issues. We have asked him to speak with the imam to reduce the decibels, because our intention is not to offend sensibilities," said Ventura.

However, the CIM maintained its position, considering that this measure impeded the right of Muslims to practice their faith. This imbroglio seems to reveal deeper tensions between the religious federation and certain Muslim associations. The councilor also hinted that the CIM was instrumentalizing this case to stir up the discontent of the Muslim community against the municipality. "There is a conflict between the entities and, in the end, it falls on the technician and on me. The CIM has involved us in this matter so that the Muslims point the finger at us," he lamented.

It should be noted that Melilla has 17 Muslim places of worship, including the Central Mosque, inaugurated in 1947, which is the largest and most important in the city. The population of Melilla is composed, almost equally, of Muslims, mostly of Moroccan origin, and Christians.