The Muslim call to prayer will ring out more freely in New York City under guidelines announced Tuesday by Mayor Eric Adams, which he said should foster a spirit of inclusivity.
Under the new rules, Adams said, mosques will not need a special permit to publicly broadcast the Islamic call to prayer, or adhan, on Fridays and at sundown during the holy month of Ramadan. Friday is the traditional Islamic holy day, and Muslims break their fast at sunset during Ramadan.
The police department’s community affairs bureau will work with mosques to communicate the new guidelines and ensure that devices used to broadcast the adhan are set to appropriate decibel levels, Adams said. Houses of worship can broadcast up to 10 decibels over the ambient sound level, the mayor’s office said.
10db may not sound like much but a sound 10db louder sounds twice as loud to the human ear.
The ambient sound level… OF FUCKING NEW YORK
To put it into perspective, 10db is the difference between a motorcycle and a rock concert.
Source.
That doesn’t put it in perspective at all. Both of those things are very loud. Ambient noise in NYC is kind of medium to low, depending on time of day and exact location. What does 10 dB above the ambient noise at 4:30 AM sound like? The double of breathing is leaves rustling.