Fittja Mosque, located in a suburb going by the same name, has been given permission by the police to sound its prayer calls from its minaret. This is a joyous occasion for Muslims living in the area as the prayer calls (the Adhaan) make up a fundamental part of the Muslim Faith. The permission was applied for by the Turkish Islamic Association of the Botkyrka Municipality. This mosque will be the first mosque to do so in all of Sweden. In an increasingly hostile world for the Muslims, this comes as a blessing and extends a hand of friendship towards them.
The Muslim population in Sweden is nearly 574 000, although no official estimates are available. If this is true, then Muslims make up about 6.05% of the total population in Sweden. In a western country, that is a huge number. In Sweden, most major cities have established mosques to facilitate the religious needs of its growing Muslim population. Although most cities do have mosques, to be able to sound the call to prayers using loudspeakers is not something any mosque had the opportunity to do.
Muslims pray five times a day, but the Friday prayer is the Holiest prayer for the Muslims during the week, much like going to the church on Sundays by Roman Catholics. Permission has been given to sound prayers from the loudspeaker, on Friday noon from between 12pm to 1pm, with a prayer call lasting between 3 to 5 minutes. The population of Botkyrka is overwhelmingly Muslim (most of whom are immigrants), and it is no surprise that there is the first Mosque to apply and get permission for the prayer call. There are some strings attached though. The loudspeaker will be placed in places approved by the authorities only, and everyone living within 1 km radius of the mosque must be informed 1 hour beforehand. The decision, moreover, can be appealed to by the local residents if they feel that it is creating a nuisance.
Fittja Mosque is a mosque built in the municipality of Botkyrka, in Stockholm, Sweden. It is built in Turkish style of architecture, and its construction started in 1997. In 2008, it was declared open to the public for use. Owned by the Turkish Islamic Association, its religious teachings are that of Sunni Islam. The minaret stands one of the tallest in Europe at a height of 32.5 m. While a few mosques all over Europe and the USA have been given permission to sound the call to prayer, in Sweden the Fittja Mosque will be the first. It is somewhat understandable that the authorities are being so meticulous about their decisions as this might be the forerunner of the nearly 200 other mosques in Sweden.
Church bells have been in use since 604AD. If no problem has arisen out of that, then none will arise out of the Adhaan.
“I’m really happy and grateful,” is what the chairman of the Islamic Association, Ismail Okur, had to say. These words reflect the feelings of all the Muslims in the area.
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