African country bans the morning call to prayer through minarets, and Muslims assert that it is a violation of their rights

Rwandan authorities have banned the morning call to prayer from minarets using loudspeakers, claiming that it violates the country’s noise control laws.

A number of Muslim residents said, “The decision violated their rights to perform a basic ritual of the pure religion,” adding that the decision to “ban the call to prayer for dawn prayer through minarets is a difficult decision, and this is the first Ramadan without the adhan.”

The Rwandan authorities say that residents have complained about the sound of the call to prayer for dawn, which is about 30 to 49 minutes past four in the morning, while the call to prayer takes about two or three minutes.

In the capital, Kigali, citizens said are “thinking of suing the government over the ban on the call to prayer for dawn.”