UK Councillor Receives Numerous Resident Complaints Over Eid Call-to-Prayer Noise

Chadderton Fold View by Steven Haslington, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 | Jihad Watch

An Oldham councillor has raised concerns after receiving numerous complaints from residents about noise linked to Eid al-Adha prayer calls in Chadderton.

Councillor Jon Ford, recently elected as a Reform UK representative for Chadderton North, stated that local residents contacted him through emails, text messages, and face-to-face conversations regarding what they described as excessive noise on the morning of May 27. According to Ford, many residents felt the sound, believed to be the Eid call to prayer originating from Chadderton Cemetery, was disruptive and distressing.

Several Eid al-Adha gatherings took place across the borough that day, with large numbers of people coming together in public spaces to celebrate the religious festival.

In a statement shared on Facebook, Ford said the volume and duration of the prayer call generated significant concern among residents. He noted that the noise reportedly began at around 8 a.m. and continued for nearly an hour, carrying well beyond the immediate vicinity. Ford added that he had escalated the matter to senior officials within Oldham Council for urgent consideration.

Oldham Council, which had previously advised residents to expect increased traffic around Chadderton Cemetery during Eid celebrations, clarified that the complaints were not related to council-organized activities.

Meanwhile, Hamid Ali, one of the organizers of the annual Eid in the Park event held at Berries Field Park near Westwood, distanced his event from the complaints. Ali described the celebration as a successful community gathering and emphasized that organizers make every effort to minimize disruption to local residents.

“Our event has been running for four years, and we have never received a complaint,” Ali said. “We always take residents into account when planning activities. As far as I am aware, there have been no concerns raised about our event, so any complaints are likely connected to a different gathering.”

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)