Karlskrona City Council Allows Call to Prayer

Hat tip Kronans Martell

The city council of Karlskrona, Sweden has voted down a measure proposed by the Sweden Democrats that would have spared the citizens of that municipality from having to hear the Friday call to Islamic prayer from being blasted from the local mosque. Translation by Fousesquawk.

https://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=105&artikel=7146494


SD (Sweden Democrats) voted down- Yes to continued call to prayers in Karlskrona


Published Thursday 31 January 22:33 hours

After a long and intense debate in the General Council, the motion of the Sweden Democrats to forbid religious calls in public space in Karlskrona was voted down.

The Islamic Cultural Association in Karlskrona can continue their calls to prayer from their mosque in Kungsmarken during the Friday prayer.

The mosque in Karlskrona now has all the permits that are required  from the police and municipality.

 But the Sweden Democrats want to change the local order charter and suggested in a motion that “no religious call can be made in public space.” The Sweden Democrats maintain that religious freedom also means a right to avoid hearing religious messages, such as a call to prayer.

” One should not impose on anyone,” says Robert Andersson (SD).

Several members  argued that that the question of religious freedom cannot be settled by changing local charter.

“I think that the trade-offs and limits of religious freedom belong to the Parliament. We can’t have one religious freedom in Karlskrona and another somewhere else,” says Börje Dovstad (L).

The motion was voted down down with the totals 39-29. Five members were absent, and two abstained from voting.

How each individual member voted in the vote will not be made public until next week. However, according to the chairman of the council, Gunilla Ekelöf, nobody deviated from their respective party lines.

“M, KD and SD (parties) voted for the motion. And SW,C,L, MP and V voted against,” says  Gunilla Ekelöf