Muslims in Sweden Want “Allahu Akbar” Call to Prayer Broadcast Throughout the Country

Prominent Muslims in Sweden are now demanding that the Islamic call to prayer be broadcast throughout the country after it was allowed in the city of Växjö.

On Tuesday, Swedish police granted a mosque in the southern city of Vaxjo permission to broadcast the call to prayer, which commonly includes the refrain “Allahu Akbar,” over loudspeakers once a week.

Some politicians criticized the decision, with Anna Tenje of the conservative Moderates asserting it risked “pulling the city further apart.”

Leader of the Christian Democrats Ebba Busch Thor, who campaigned against the decision, said “people shouldn’t have to hear it in their homes.”

However, with three mosques in the country now being allowed to broadcast the call to prayer, Avdi Islami, spokesman of Växjö’s Muslim Foundation, said the call should be heard nationwide.

“We want to call out at more places. There are many Muslims who are Swedish citizens, who have the same rights as everyone else,” he said.