Hamas Says Law Banning Adhan Is Continuation of Israel’s Judaization Attempts
The approval of the draft law banning and restricting the broadcast of the Adhan in mosques in al-Quds and the occupied territories by the Israeli Knesset is a clear violation of freedom of worship and a new escalation within the framework of the religious war that the occupiers have launched against the Palestinian nation and holy places, Hamas said in a statement, Shehab News Agency reported.
“This action is a clear violation of international treaties and standards that guarantee the freedom to perform religious rituals and the protection of places of worship.”
The movement added, “The insistence of the criminal Zionist enemy on passing racist laws that target everything that has an Arab and Islamic identity demonstrates the depth of the extremism that governs the policies of this regime. This emphasizes the continuation of Judaization plans aimed at erasing the Arab and Islamic identity of our nation, targeting Al-Aqsa Mosque and other Islamic sanctities, and attempting to impose false realities that target freedom of worship, the development of mosques, and attendance in them, and are a clear challenge to the feelings of Muslims around the world.”
The statement further said, “We emphasize that the call to prayer will remain an eternal slogan in Islam and an inseparable part of the identity of Palestine and al-Quds. The laws of the occupiers and their repressive actions will never be able to silence the voice of the mosques or erase their religious and civilizational manifestations, just as Judaization policies will not succeed in changing the identity of this land or distorting its history. The occupying fascist regime will reap nothing but further defeat and despair from these policies and decisions.”
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Hamas concluded by saying, “We call on the masses of the Palestinian people, the Arab and Islamic nations, and religious and legal institutions to unite in their efforts and expand their movements to defend Al-Aqsa Mosque and other Islamic sanctities. We also emphasize the need to support the steadfastness of the people of al-Quds, support their presence and resistance in Al-Aqsa, confront all efforts by the occupiers to harm freedom of worship, and expose their racist policies and continuous aggressions in all international forums.”
The Israeli regime’s lawmakers on Wednesday voted in a preliminary reading to approve a bill that will restrict the use and volume of mosque loudspeakers across the occupied territories, according to Palestine News Agency.
The bill requires three additional votes before it can be enacted into law. Knesset member Zvika Fogel, from the right-wing Otzma Yehudit party led by national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, introduced the “muezzin bill,” which passed with 50 votes in favor and only 36 against in a preliminary vote.
The muezzin is an official who proclaims the call to the Islamic prayer five times a day, including the predawn Fajr prayer.
If the law is enacted, mosques will be required to obtain a permit to use loudspeakers, and those which do not comply may face a fine of 50,000 shekels (about $16,700). The police will have the authority to confiscate loudspeakers and issue fines of 10,000 shekels ($3,340) for repeated violations.
The bill received support from the opposition party Yisrael Beytenu, led by Avigdor Lieberman, as well as from the ultra-Orthodox party Shas, part of the Israeli regime’s coalition.
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