Bo-Kaap residents are up in arms, following yet another complaint about the athaan in the historically Muslim neighbourhood.
The chairperson of the Bo-Kaap Civic and Ratepayers Association Osman Shaboodien says they’ve dealt with a few complaints over the years about the perceived loudness of the call to prayer, but in the last two months, there’s been no fewer than three complaints.
The most recent complaint relates to the Leeuwen Street Masjid, Nurul El-Houda.
According to Sheikh Dawood Terblanche, City of Cape Town Law Enforcement officials arrived at the mosque just after jumu-ah (Friday prayers) to inform them of the complaint.
He says the officials did not divulge who the complainant was, as it was not a formal complaint.
“More than 26 years into democracy, it’s shocking to find that people are complaining about the athaan and coming with Islamophobic tendencies,” the sheikh says.
“We are the first mosque to have sounded the athaan over a speaker more than 50 years ago, so this is nothing new.”
Shaboodien says there are 10 mosques in Bo-Kaap but not all of them have the athaan.
He says gentrification plays a huge role in the complaints as more outsiders buy into the sought-after area.
“We’ve found that many people from overseas are buying into the Bo-Kaap,” he says.
“The athaan is central to prayer. It goes off five times a day. The duration is no more than about three minutes.”
Resident Naziema Hassiem, 53, feels outsiders should respect their customs: “I feel this is against our religion. If they know the athaan goes off, why move in?”
Kader Miller, 45, runs the Bo-Kaap Ghoema Theatre, and says they are fighting to preserve the character and historical significance of the area.
“Before you buy into any area, you should know what the rules are. A Cape Malay (area) will always maintain its heritage.”
The Executive Director for Safety and Security Richard Bosman confirms a noise complaint has been received about the athaan.
“The City can confirm that Law Enforcement officers have engaged with the mosque representatives on two occasions, to inform them of the noise complaint," he says.
“However, officers have not taken any action against the mosque, nor requested any action be taken by them."
He says to avoid frivolous complaints, complainants are required to submit a sworn affidavit, and then officials are “duty-bound” to investigate.
They will then “exercise an opinion in terms of whether or not the complaint can be considered a noise nuisance or disturbance”.