In protest of Israeli government efforts to quieten the adhan (Muslim call to prayer) from mosques, a Palestinian lawmaker boldly recited it from the front of parliament this week.

Talab Abu Arar, an Arab parliamentarian in Israel's Knesset, stood confidently at the head of the chamber, resolute and proud as he recited the melodic Arabic words: "God is Great. I bear witness that there is no god except the One God. I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of God."

As the sound of the adhan echoed through the room, Israeli parliamentarians began to shout and yell, attempting to silence the protest. Abu Arar continued, unfazed as some Israeli parliamentarians fled the room and others tried to cut him short.

"Muezzins [callers to prayer] will continue to make their calls… God is the Greatest," he said as he concluded the call to prayer, according to Middle East Eye

"Many years ago, I stood right here [in the Knesset] to speak about how the Israel army is trained to attack those who say ‘Allahu Akbar’, and now, here we are again discussing the same issue, but in a different light."

The protest comes as the Israeli government has put forward legislation that would forbid mosque muezzins from announcing prayer via loudspeakers. 

The legislation has so far been approved by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation and will now go to the Israeli parliament – the Knesset – for a preliminary reading. It would then move to the parliament's committees to continue the legislative process.

Although the volume limitation would technically apply to all religions, the main impact would be felt by mosques, which turn to loudspeakers to make their calls to prayer five times per day.

Jerusalem Palestine
A minaret on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. Source: WikiMedia

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has thrown his weight behind the measure. "Israel is committed to protect anyone who suffers from the excessively loud calls."

Arab members of the Knesset have slammed the bill, calling it the latest in a series of attempts to "create an atmosphere of hate and incitement against the Arab population."

"Those who suffer from the sounds of the muezzins are specifically those who chose to settle near the the mosques, and… they are invited to leave if they are suffering so much,” fellow lawmaker Hanin Zoabi said. 

 “This isn’t Europe here. Anyone who feels like he is in Europe, and thinks this is Europe, should consider going there.”

The Palestinian Authority has turned to the UN Security Council to help stop the bill from moving forward.