New York City: No permits needed to 'amplify' Azaan on Friday and during Ramzan

On August 29, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that no permission would be required to give Azaan or the call for Islamic prayer from mosques on Jummah and during Ramzan. The new initiative by the New York Police Department aims to “support and facilitate the Islamic call to public prayer at regularly prescribed times each Friday and during the holy month of Ramadan,” an official press release read. Mayor Adams while making the announcement said that there was a feeling among the Muslims that they were not allowed to amplify their calls for prayer and thus the city administration decided to cut the “red tape” and allow the mosques and houses of worship to freely amplify their call to prayer on Fridays and during Ramadan without a permit necessary. Meanwhile, New York City Police Commissioner Edward Caban described the move to allow Azaan calls without permission as part of the NYPD’s community engagement and ongoing crime-fighting initiatives.