By Fouzia van der Fort
Oudtshoorn residents have vented their frustrations online about the Muslim call to prayer being recited over a loudspeaker from the local mosque, and have called on the Christian community to intervene.
The newly established Jaami Masjid in Church Street, Oudtshoorn, which has been serving about 60 Muslim families there, recently installed a loudspeaker for the athaan (call to prayer).
A notice had been placed in a community newspaper and no objections were raised, until the athaan was made last week.
Since then the Oudtshoorn municipality has received nine written complaints, the mosque a single letter, and several comments vehemently opposing the athaan have been posted on Oudtshoorn Online, a local website.
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Oudtshoorn municipal manager Wessel Rabbets said neighbours of the mosque had written to complain about the athaan.
He said he would meet each of the complainants and that a thorough investigation would be done to ensure that everything, including the application, planning and building of the mosque had complied with the requirements of the municipality.
"It is too late for them to complain now.
"They should have complained at the time when the application to build a mosque in the area was advertised .
"I don't think people really understand what the call to prayer is all about. We want to deal with this sensitively and call on all religious groups to be tolerant," he said.
Rabbets said there should be a great respect for all religions, and the rights of all people and religions.
Mufti Basheer Khan, the imam of the mosque, said he did not want to "make an issue out of the situation".
Like many other communities, he said, Muslims were in the minority. All the athaan did was to remind believers of their prayers.
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