Palestinian Israelis vow to resist attempts to muzzle mosque adhans

In the narrow streets of Lod in Israel, where Jewish and Muslim populations coexist in uneasy proximity, defiance is brewing inside the small mosque Mohamed Sarsour calls home. For the past week, every call to prayer now draws a swelling tide of worshippers.

Sarsour, a local who spends significant portions of his days in this mosque, attributed the sudden surge in worshipers to Israel's recent ban on mosques broadcasting the adhan, or the Muslim call to prayer.

The increase in turnout, he warns, is a quiet but powerful resistance to the Israeli government's latest attempt to silence Muslim religious expression.

"This decision will not pass easily. If the Israeli police tried to remove the loudspeakers and prevent the call to prayer, chaos would erupt. The issue has become a matter of tit-for-tat, and the youth of Lod are known for their courage," the 27-year-old told TRT World.

Police enforcement

On Sunday, Israel's national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, ordered police forces to confiscate speakers from mosques as a step towards blocking the adhan from being broadcast in regions where there are Jewish residents.

The far-right minister's posts on X said the move is in line with what has been done "in Europe, as they do in every civilised country in the world, as they do in Arab countries."

According to the decision, which still needs Knesset's approval, police forces are authorized to enter mosques to take away speakers and fine those who do not abide by the new policy. This, Gvir said, is in response to "dozens of complaints from residents in mixed (Jewish-Muslim) cities" about the adhan.

However, many Muslims and Arabs within Israel, including a quarter of Lod's 81,000 people, see the move as a restriction on their right to worship and another attempt to erode their culture and traditions.

Muslims in territories under Israeli legal control were quick to denounce the decision. Leaders of the Muslim and Arab communities took to social media to warn against enforcement of the policy, which is the latest in years-long efforts by the minister to silence mosques' calls to prayer.

"This decision will not be implemented: Not today. Not in a million years," Sarsour warned.

'Racism and racists'

Sami Abu Shehade, head of the National Democratic Assembly party, was unequivocal in his condemnation of the move. In comments to TRT World, the Jaffa-based leader said the confiscation of speakers from mosques is unlawful, and tantamount to "theft under the pretext of social harmony."

He added that "the voices that should be silenced are those of racism and racists like Ben-Gvir."

The Israeli politician is known for his inflammatory rhetoric and actions provocative to Muslims worldwide, including unannounced visits to Al-Aqsa Mosque, which have been seen as blatant violations of international law, and incendiary to Muslims in the occupied territories and beyond.

According to Abu Shehada, removing loudspeakers from mosques won't promote harmony, and would negatively impact social interaction in neighbourhoods.

"It will reduce social gatherings, weaken the collective spirit among residents, and individuals will feel discriminated against, which could lead to feelings of anger and resentment, and affect relations between neighbours,” he noted.

The decision could also change cultural dynamics due to the lack of social activities in mosques, which he said would prompt people to seek alternatives for interaction, such as organising events at home.

Additionally, with Muslims accounting for nearly a fifth of the roughly 10 million people living within the recognised territories of Israel, the move could trigger wide protests and chaos, he warned.

Past failed attempts

According to Israeli political analyst Ihab Jabareen, the new adhan policy is partly performative, designed to appease right-wing constituencies while garnering media attention.

"Ben-Gvir is always seeking headline-grabbing moments," Jabareen said, highlighting the politically calculated nature of such provocations.

The Israeli politician's targeting of the adhan is also not new. In 2013, nearly a decade before joining the cabinet, a group of Jewish extremist activists led by Ben-Gvir broadcasted the adhan loudly and deliberately in a Tel Aviv neighbourhood in a stunt which they said demonstrated how upsetting the call is for Israeli citizens.

Earlier bids to limit the volume of the adhan have also come before the Knesset, but didn't pass. In 2017, a so-called "muezzin bill" that sought to regulate the use of loudspeakers for religious purposes at certain times of the day managed to win a preliminary vote, but then faced opposition from ultra-orthodox Israeli members who worried it would affect the weekly sirens on Friday announcing the commencement of Shabbat.

Jabareen said the timing of the latest adhan ban attempt coincides with mounting pressure on the Muslim population of Israel and Palestine, especially from the expanding influence of the far-right in Israel.

Palestinian citizens of Israel already face multifaceted forms of discrimination that impact various aspects of life. This is in addition to growing settler violence encouraged by the far-right and targeting of Palestinians in the occupied territories, which spiked even before the ongoing war was waged by Israeli forces against Gaza.

This piece was published in collaboration with Egab.