Muslim call to prayer barred at church

A Muslim declaration of faith has been dropped from a choir performance at an Anglican church after complaints by choir members.

Some choristers in the combined Kapiti Chorale and Kapiti Chamber Choir objected to the inclusion of The Adhan, a Muslim call to prayer, as part of this weekend's performance of The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace, at St Paul's church in Paraparaumu.

The area's Anglican Archdeacon Lyall Perris and his wife, St Paul's vicar Reverend Sally Perris, decided it was "inappropriate" to have the Muslim declaration of faith performed in the church.

As a compromise, they proposed that a recording of The Adhan be played in the church foyer instead. The choir last night accepted the proposal.

The weekend's performance will include texts from the Koran and the Hindu Mahabharata, but the church was not asked to drop them from the show.

Archdeacon Perris described The Adhan as "a very prominent proclamation" of the Islamic faith.

"We thought that it really was not appropriate for this proclamation of another faith's statement of belief to be declared inside our church," he said. "It's very exclusive, very 'in your face'."

It was not a matter of being over-sensitive, Archdeacon Perris said.

The church was a sacred space set aside for Christian worship, and he and his wife had to make decisions to ensure it was used appropriately.

- NZPA