>> Eric: IN A FEW MINUTES WE'LL MEET THE STATE'S POINT PERSON ON EQUITY AND CATCH UP ON A BUSY SPORTS WEEKEND.
FIRST HISTORIC NEWS OUT OF MINNEAPOLIS.
>> INDEED ON THURSDAY THE MINNEAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL CHANGED THE CITY'S NOISE ORDINANCE TO ALLOW MOSQUES TO BROADCAST ALL FIVE DAILY CALLS TO PRAYER.
THE VOTE WAS UNANIMOUS.
LOUD SPEAKER CALLS TO PRAYER ARE COMMON AROUND THE GLOBE BUT STILL RARE IN THE U.S.
THIS COMES DURING THE MUSLIM HOLY MONTH OF RAMADAN.
HERE IS MINNEAPOLIS COUNCIL MEMBER JAMAL OSMAN WARD SIX IN THE CEDAR RIVER SIDE NEIGHBORHOOD.
>> FOR FOLKS NOT FAMILIAR, EXPLAIN THE ALL TO PRAYER SIGNIFICANCE.
>> CALL TO PRAYER MUSLIM IS CONSIDERED TO BE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SOUND IN THE WORLD.
CALL TO PRAYER, IT HAPPENS BEFORE PRAYER.
IT'S A CALL FOR PEOPLE AROUND THE AREA TO SAY IT'S TIME TO PRAY.
AS YOU KNOW MUSLIMS PRAY FIVE TIMES A DAY, SO FIRST TIME IN MINNEAPOLIS WE'RE ALLOWED TO DO THAT.
>> Cathy: AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AT THE CRACK OF DAWN AND SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE DAY AND WHEN THE NIGHT SKY STARTS TO DARKEN, IS THAT RIGHT?
>> THAT IS CORRECT.
>> Eric: WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS?
THIS I GUESS IS THE FIRST COMMUNITY IN THE COUNTRY TO DO THIS.
WHAT'S THE SIGNIFICANCE OF IT DO YOU THINK?
>> I THINK THAT THE COMMUNITY, IT STARTED ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO WHEN OVID, PEOPLE WERE NOT ABLE TO COME OUT TO PRAY IN-PERSON SO THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORS, SPECIALLY IN CEDAR RIVERSIDE AS YOU KNOW THERE'S HIGH RISE BUILDINGS THERE, WE ASKED THE MAYOR JACOB TO ALLOW A TEMPORARY ONLY DURING THE RAMADAN, MONTH OF RAMADAN TO BE ALLOWED.
SO HE DID THAT FOR A MONTH AND THEN LATER ON WHEN I JOINED THE COUNCIL, ME AND ALSO COUNCIL MEMBER ISAAC, COUNCIL MEMBER ELLISON, THREE OF US WHO ARE MUSLIM MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, DECIDED THAT MAYBE WE SHOULD LOOK INTO THE ORDINANCE CODE AND SEE IF THIS IS SOMETHING POSSIBLE.
>> Cathy: I KNOW THERE ARE PHONE APPS, OF COURSE THERE'S PHONE APPS FOR EVERYTHING.
SO I KNOW THERE ARE PROBABLY CALL TO PRAYER APPS, BUT WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO DO IT THE TRADITIONAL WAY?
>> I THINK IT'S A MUSLIM PERSON, SOMEONE WHO GREW UP IN A MUSLIM COUNTRY, HEARING THAT WAS SOMETHING TRADITIONAL, IT'S PART OF OUR FAITH AND FOR US TO HAVE THAT IT'S VERY IMPORTANT, MANY MUSLIM COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO IT.
SO WE FEEL LIKE THIS IS, WE BELONG TO THE COMMUNITY AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT EVERYONE WAS EXCITED AND I BELIEVE THAT LOOKING INTO THIS AS LEGISLATIVE, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE CODES ALLOW US TO DO, SO.
>> Cathy: SO LET ME ASK YOU THIS.
IS THIS, CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO FOLKS, IS ALMOST LIKE CHURCH BELLS IN THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, YOU KNOW?
YOU HEAR CHURCH BELLS, YOU HEAR, EVERY RELIGION HAS SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, SO THIS WOULD BE YOUR VERSION OF CHURCH BELLS IN A SENSE.
>> IT IS, YES.
IT IS.
AND AS YOU MENTIONED THE CHURCH BELLS, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HEAR ALL THE TIME AND FOR MUSLIM COMMUNITY TO REALLY REALIZE THAT THIS IS THE CITY THEY LIVE IN, THIS IS WHERE THEIR CHILDREN GREW UP, AND IT'S PART OF THEIR FAITH IS VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE THE CALL TO PRAYER.
>> Eric: WHAT RE YOU HEARING FROM FOLKS IN THE SIXTH WARD?
>> EXCITEMENT.
THREE YEARS AGO PEOPLE WERE REALLY EXCITED TO HEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME, ESPECIALLY IMMIGRANTS, AND ALSO KIDS THAT ARE BORN HERE LIKE MY CHILDREN COMING THERE AND LOOKING TO THAT.
AND EVEN NON-MUSLIM COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE COMING AND TAKING PICTURES AND ARE EXCITED.
IF YOU TRAVEL ROUND THE GLOBE ESPECIALLY IN MUSLIM COUNTRIES LIKE TURKEY AND EGYPT AND CAIRO, YOU HEAR THE CALL TO PRAYER AND IT'S A BEAUTIFUL VOICE AND THIS IS SOMETHING THE COMMUNITY IS EXCITED ABOUT.
>> Eric: COUNCIL IS OFTEN DIVIDED ON VOTES, I DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT.
THIS WAS 12 IN FAVOR ON VOTES.
>> IT WAS 12-NOTHING.
>> Eric: DOES THIS THE SOMALI COMMUNITY ACROSS ANY FACTION THAT MIGHT DEVELOP ON THE COUNCIL?
>> YES, AND AS MEMBERS WE UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF FAITH, WE HAVE TO BE EQUAL TO ALL RELIGIONS IN THE CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS AND I BELIEVE MINNEAPOLIS BECOMES THE FIRST MAJOR CITY TO TAKE THAT AND IT SHOWS HOW DIVERSE AND BEAUTIFUL THE CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS IS.
>> Cathy: WELL, DO YOU THINK MOSQUES NEED TO DO SOME EDUCATION BEFORE THEY DO START DOING THE CALLS TO PRAYER ESPECIALLY THE ONE THAT'S JUST AS DAWN IS BREAKING AS I'M SURE IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR AND IF YOU LIVE NEXT TO A MOSQUE THAT MIGHT BE A LITTLE JARRING.
WILL YOU HAVE TO DO SOME EDUCATION?
>> YES, I THINK LAST YEAR APRIL 1ST LAST YEAR THE CITY PASSED A RESOLUTION CALLING THAT THE MOSQUE CAN PARTICIPATE FOUR TIMES INSTEAD OF FIVE.
AND DURING THAT IME I TALKED TO A COUPLE MOSQUE LEADERS AND A FEW FOLKS AND THEY SAY THEY WILL NOT BE -- THEY WILL DO THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS.
AND NOW AS FAR AS WE KNOW THERE'S ONLY ONE MOSQUE THAT ARE DOING THE CALL TO PRAYER.
OTHER MOSQUES HAD A ABOUT A YEAR NOW TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT BUT THEY HAVEN'T DONE THAT.
IT REQUIRES SOME EQUIPMENT AND SOME WORK, YOU KNOW, THE ROOF, HAVING EQUIPMENT ON THE ROOF IN THE WINTER, MINNESOTA WINTER, IT TAKES TIME.
SO MUSLIMS AND MUSLIM IMAMS, THEY WANT TO BE RESPECTFUL TO THEIR NEIGHBORS, THEY WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT ENGAGEMENT AND THEY WANT TO BE TOLERANT AND MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITY KNOWS THAT THIS IS SOMETHING COMING.
SOME OF THEM ALSO HAVE TOLD ME THAT THE EARLY MORNING PRAYER THEY WILL NOT BE CALLING THAT OUT OF RESPECT.
>> Eric: THANKS FOR COMING ACROSS THE