Residents and commentators voiced sharply divided reactions after videos circulated showing the Muslim call to prayer amplified in parts of New York City.
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Residents and commentators voiced sharply divided reactions after videos circulated showing the Muslim call to prayer amplified in parts of New York City.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Videos circulating online over the weekend show the Islamic call to prayer being broadcast over loudspeakers in parts of New York City, prompting both criticism and defense from residents and public figures.
The development comes weeks after voters elected Zohran Mamdani as mayor. Online commentators linked the broadcasts to the city’s changing political leadership, though reports indicate that permission for certain outdoor call-to-prayer broadcasts began under former Mayor Eric Adams in 2023.
Actor James Woods reacted to the footage in a social media post dated February 16, 2026, writing, “Well, that didn’t take long…”
Additional videos posted by users show amplified calls to prayer echoing through neighborhoods in Manhattan and other boroughs. One post dated February 15, 2026 described residents as “completely shocked,” quoting one individual as saying, “I never thought in my life I’d hear this in the middle of New York.”
Another post dated February 16, 2026 asked, “ISN’T THIS WHAT WE WARNED NEW YORK CITIZENS ABOUT?” while sharing video of the broadcast.
It reminds me of how the state determined that prayer over the intercom at schools all across the US were no longer good because it violated the separation of church and state. What happened to that because those same children are now forced to hear these Islamic prayers, or does the state prefer Islam over Christianity now?