The Central Mosque of Cologne will be permitted to broadcast its call to prayer over loudspeakers on Friday afternoons, officials said on Monday.
All 35 mosques in the western German city will now be able to play the call for up to five minutes on Fridays between noon and 3 p.m. local time.
The two-year initiative, which is subject to renewal, comes as part of an agreement between the city of Cologne and the Muslim community to ease restrictions.
Mosques seeking to broadcast the call will have to comply with limits on the volume of their loudspeakers and notify neighbors in advance, the city said.
Cologne’s Central Mosque , the largest in Germany, has been a flashpoint for anti-Muslim sentiment from far-right parties.
Having been partly financed by donations from the Turkish government’s religious affairs authority in Germany, DITIB, the mosque has also been a major source of debate since its construction. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan even formally inaugurated the Mosque himself during a controversial visit to Germany in September 2018.
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Cologne’s central mosque: A troubled symbol of unity
Inspired by a flower bud
The building was designed with glass walls and a staircase accessible from the street, symbolizing openness to people of all religions. It features two 55-meter (60-yard) minarets and a dome of glass and concrete which appears to open like a flower bud.
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Cologne’s central mosque: A troubled symbol of unity
Ehrenfeld’s mix of cultures
The mosque is located in Cologne’s Ehrenfeld district, a formerly a working-class quarter. Ehrenfeld suffered a rise in unemployment and poverty when factories closed in the 1970s. Some time later, however, low rent prices lured in artists, galleries and theaters, ultimately gentrifying the area. Today, 35 percent of locals there have an immigrant background.
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Cologne’s central mosque: A troubled symbol of unity
Impressive plans
The construction was funded by hundreds of Muslim associations, but also bank loans and donations from the Turkish government’s religious affairs authority in Germany, DITIB. Cologne city council approved the plans in 2008, despite Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party, the conservative Christian Democrats, voting against it.
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Cologne’s central mosque: A troubled symbol of unity
Architect drops out after row with Turkish association
Architect Paul Böhm, who specializes in building churches, won the contract in 2005. He saw the building as an act of integration. He later fell out with the new leadership of DITIB and stopped working on the project in 2011.
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Cologne’s central mosque: A troubled symbol of unity
Doors opened in 2017
The mosque first opened for prayer during Ramadan in 2017, but was only officially opened by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his visit to Germany in September 2018.
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Cologne’s central mosque: A troubled symbol of unity
Room for 1,200 worshippers
Inside the mosque, there’s a prayer area which takes up both the ground and the upper floor, with the two sections connected by a well in the center of the building’s glass front. The compound houses an Islamic library. There are also shops and sports facilities intended to foster interactions among people of different faiths.
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Cologne’s central mosque: A troubled symbol of unity
New skyline
Some residents were shocked by the sheer size of the construction when the plans were first presented, especially the height of the minarets, and feared a change in the skyline of their “Christian city.” Then-Cardinal Joachim Meisner, the archbishop of Cologne, admitted to having “an uneasy feeling” about the project.
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Cologne’s central mosque: A troubled symbol of unity
Right-wing protesters oppose the mosque
Right-wing politicians picked up on the sentiment and launched a heated debate about the integration of Muslims in Germany. Author Ralph Giordano said the mosque would be “an expression of the creeping Islamization” in the country.
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Cologne’s central mosque: A troubled symbol of unity
Imams or spies?
In 2017, German authorities launched an investigation into the activities of DITIB imams, who are schooled in Turkey and paid by the Turkish state, as well as other people working in the Cologne complex. Mosque employees were suspected of spying against Turks living in Germany on behalf of the Turkish goverment.
Author: Rina Goldenberg
Cologne mayor defends decision
While the decision to allow the call to prayer was welcomed by the city’s Muslim community, it drew criticism on social media. Over the weekend, the Mayor Henriette Reker defended the move.
“There has been much discussion over the project #Muezzin-Ruf (Muslim call). Cologne is the city of [religious] freedom and diversity,” said Reker on Twitter.
“Those who arrive at the main train station are greeted by the cathedral and accompanied by church bells. Many Cologne residents are Muslims. Allowing the muezzin call is for me a sign of respect,” she added.
Some 4.5 million Muslims live in Germany, making up the country’s largest religious minority group.
