LONDON: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation denounced on Thursday the Israeli Knesset’s preliminary approval of a bill that seeks to restrict the Muslim call to prayer through mosques across the country.
The OIC described the proposed law as a “discriminatory and racist legislative measure that constitutes a flagrant violation of freedom of religion and worship.”
It added in a statement: “This legislation represents a dangerous escalation within the context of a series of racist Israeli decisions, legislation, and measures aimed at restricting the Palestinian presence and targeting Arab and Islamic identity; it also constitutes a direct attack on the sanctity of religious rites and Islamic holy sites.”
Israeli lawmakers on Wednesday passed the so-called “muezzin bill” in a preliminary vote, with 50 votes in favor and 36 against. The bill, which aims to restrict the use and volume of mosque loudspeakers, requires three additional votes before it can become law.
Knesset member Zvika Fogel, from the right-wing Otzma Yehudit party led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, introduced the bill. It earned support from the opposition party Yisrael Beiteinu and the ultra-Orthodox party Shas, which is part of the government coalition.
