Today, Thursday, an Islamic association submitted to the competent authorities in the German city of Cologne (west) the first official request to allow the call to prayer on Fridays, as part of a project launched by the city several weeks ago.
And German television, "Deutsche Welle," quoted a city spokeswoman (unnamed) as saying that the competent authorities had received the first official request from an Islamic association to lift the call to prayer on Fridays in the city.
The spokeswoman added that 10 other associations revealed their desire to submit a similar request, without revealing the names of the applicants, in respect of data privacy laws.
It is stipulated that the request to perform the call to prayer be on Fridays only and for a period not exceeding 5 minutes, provided that the volume level is agreed upon and the neighbors are informed of the matter in advance, according to the same source.
The spokeswoman's confirmation came after the Cologne newspaper "Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger" published a report in which it said that the first official request to lift the call to prayer had already reached the city authorities.
The local newspaper, "Bild", revealed that the authorities are in the process of studying the request, and finding out if there is a need for clarification meetings before issuing the decision.
The city authorities attributed the project to the principle of freedom of belief and the right to practice rituals, and described it as a sign of mutual acceptance, according to the same newspaper.
Mayor Henriette Reeker said recently - in a press statement - when in our city we hear the call to prayer next to church bells, this shows that Cologne values and lives diversity, according to Deutsche Welle.
A few weeks ago, the German city of Cologne launched a two-year pilot project, allowing Islamic societies to submit requests to lift the call to prayer.