Japan City Allows Eid Festival in Public Park, Bars Prayers

IQNA – A city government in eastern Japan has approved a local mosque’s request to hold an Eid al-Adha festival in a public park — but explicitly prohibited the performance of ritual prayers during the event.

The move came after the city earlier asked the mosque, Hira Masjid Gyotoku, in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, to withdraw its application to use the park. The mosque said it would refrain from performing prayers within the park in compliance with the city's request. However, the mosque described this as a temporary measure and said it would continue to ask the city to permit the use of the park to perform prayers in the future.

According to the mosque, since its establishment in 1997 it has used part of Minamioki Park in front of the mosque as a venue for cultural exchange events twice a year -- one for the festival marking the end of Ramadan, the Islamic fasting month, and the other for Eid al-Adha, the Islamic festival of sacrifice -- performing prayers and setting up festival stalls.

When the mosque applied for permission to use the park for this year's Eid al-Adha scheduled for May 27, it was asked by the city to withdraw the application on May 19. During subsequent discussions, the mosque was told that the city would allow it to use the park but not to perform ritual prayers as a group.

The mosque accordingly removed "prayers" from the details of the planned activities at the park and reapplied on May 26, and the city granted permission. The mosque planned to perform Eid al-Adha prayers within the Muslim temple or elsewhere, not at the park.

According to the city's Division of Park and Green Space Management, its internal rules govern standards for park-use permits and prohibit uses intended to promote political, religious or other beliefs or causes. Based on those rules, the city has not allowed religious speeches or proselytizing in the park, but says it has judged that prayers themselves do not violate the standards.

Regarding the city's request to the mosque, an official at the division explained, "The issue was not the prayers themselves, but concerns were raised on social media and in the city assembly about the exclusive use of the park with people spreading out blue tarps in groups. We have reviewed the matter within our division and continued to hold talks with the mosque."

A representative director of the mosque commented, "We had previously been permitted (to perform prayers), so this sudden request is disappointing and sad. However, we don't want to be at odds with the city and would like to get along well with the community, just as we always have."

Source: mainichi.jp