Astrakhan: Muslim leaders fined for too loud appeal to prayer

The Prosecutor's Office of the Astrakhan Region has established that the Mosque located in the Pobedy Street in Astrakhan is making use, when appealing Moslems to prayer at 4 a.m. and 11 p.m., of sound-amplifying equipment, which breaks the right of people to comfortable night rest. 

"At night loud sounds interrupt people's sleep that affects their state of health and tells negatively on their wellbeing and labour capacity," runs the release of the Prosecutor's Office. 

"In this context, the Prosecutor's Office of the Region has initiated administrative cases against the local Islamic community of the Makhmud Efendi Mosque and its leader and sent them for consideration to the administrative commission of the Administration of the Kirov District of Astrakhan. As a result of consideration, the above persons were guilty of an administrative offence and punished by a fine," Anton Nosik, editor-in-chief of the "BFM.ru", quotes the document published by the Prosecutor's Office by the outcomes of the check, in his LiveJournal.

The size of the fine is not reported, however, according to the law of the Astrakhan Region "On Administrative Offences", the fine for breaching public silence and rest varies from one hundred to two thousand roubles for indivduals, from five hundred to three thousand roubles for officials and from one to twenty thousand roubles for organizations, the "Lenta.ru" writes.

Earlier, the Makhmud Efendi Mosque leaders were awarded with a prosecutor's warning about inadmissibility of breaking silence, but loud appeals to prayer did not stop.

The decision of Astrakhan local authorities has caused a stormy discussion of LiveJournal visitors.

"Under the case law, I'd sue the local church for not letting me sleep at the Easter night - ringing and ringing their bells all the time," said the user under nick ico.

In the opinion of user naigoro, the best way to settle such conflicts is to conclude a social agreement. 

"The best response to everything is an agreement. Where residential districts should be built, where the respective communities should be formed, and whether cult buildings should be planted amidst residential areas, inside which the agreement envisions silence within certain hours. But enforcing expansion of one's "canonical territory", by violently grasping other people's life - is the best way to face growth of intolerance and, as a result, clashes," this author sums up the discussion.

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