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The Minneapolis Cedar-Riverside adhan is believed to be the first publicly broadcast call to prayer in a major US city. The Dar al-Hijrah mosque in the Cedar-Riverside neighbourhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota  From loudspeakers on the roof of a Minnesota mosque, the Islamic call to prayer echoed for the first time ever throughout a Minneapolis neighbourhood late on Thursday as the Muslim community there prepared to begin the holy month of Ramadan. It echoed again on Friday morning and will continue five times a day during the holy month. The simple, short call - known as the adhan - marked an historical moment for Minneapolis and major cities across the United States, community members said. While the adhan is commonly broadcast throughout the Middle East, North Africa and other places, for many Muslims in the US, it is only heard inside mosques or community centres. "There's definitely a lot of excitement," said Imam Abd

Mosques will remain closed despite governor's decision to slowly 'reopen' the state amid COVID-19 pandemic. It will be a Ramadan unlike any other in recent memory, said Abdullah Jaber. With COVID-19 spreading across the United States and the world, the Islamic holy month marked by communal prayer and large gatherings of friends and family, will take on a more sombre note. 'There is an element of sadness and loss," said Jaber, executive director of the Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Georgia), "that so many of the things that we are so used to enjoying and looking forward to within the month of Ramadan, we can't." Houses of worship across the country - mosques, churches, synagogues, temples – shuttered weeks ago to prevent the spread of the highly contagious novel coronavirus, which leads to COVID-19. In Georgia, some of those social distancing measures are slowly li

Coronavirus affects Ramadan on an unprecedented scale, but it is not the first time Muslim traditions have had to adapt. Crowds gather on a pilgrimage at the Kaaba, the birthplace of Prophet Mohammed, Mecca, July 1889. Devastating cholera outbreaks several times throughout the 19th century resulted in the suspension of pilgrimages, including Hajj in 1837 and 1846 The coronavirus pandemic has forced drastic changes across the world - many people face unemployment, travel plans have been cancelled and public places are empty as some work from home, practise social distancing and self isolate. As most countries enforced restrictions on movement to curb the spread of the novel virus, at one point it was estimated 3 billion people were under some form of lockdown. Religous groups have adjusted to the new realities, including Muslims. The coronavirus pandemic will see the world's Muslim population - about 2 billion people - observe the h