ammonnews.net

Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Jordanian activists plan to hold Friday prayer at the new Queen Alia International Airport terminal to express their protest for shrinking the space provided for travelers to pray compared to the old terminal, and for reportedly banning the "Azan", the Muslim call to prayer.

Activists called on a "Prayer At The Airport" campaign on social networking sites after numerous complaints to the new airport authorities and the Airport International Group (AIG), the consortium group managing the Amman airport, for not expanding the space provided for prayer after they admitted in late March, that it was less than the space provided in the old terminal and assured that they would work to provide facilities "to please everyone."


In response to reports that the Azan, the Muslim call to prayer, has been banned in the new terminal, AIG said back in March that the call to prayer will be heard inside the prayer rooms "as it was in the old terminal."



A public fury erupted late March after Members of Parliament exposed the airport's new terminal facilities regarding Muslim prayer, including shrinking the space provided for prayer from a hall that had the capacity of 200 persons in the old terminal, to a room that reportedly only fits 5 persons at a time.

MP Mohammad Al Qatatsha had previously inquired to the Airport authorities about the expansion of the prayer area and is yet to receive a clear response. 



An MP also blasted during a parliamentary session back in March the airport management's banning of broadcasting the call to prayer via loud speakers, and criticized AIG for not providing toilet facilities "compatible with Arab and Muslim values of cleanliness."