German TV airs Muslims' Eid prayers

Rasa - German TV has broadcast live Muslim Eid prayers from a mosque in a town near Munich, a move that is the first of its kind in the country's history.

News ID: 2977

Date: 17 July 2015 - 19:35

RNA - The prayers, at 4:45am local time on Friday, were aired from the Penzberg Mosque on public TV and radio broadcaster Bayerischen Rundfunk.

The sermon marked the beginning of the Eid al-Fitr holiday and the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

The broadcast was part of a wider two-hour coverage on the Muslim holiday that included the sermon, narration of the Islam's holy book Quran, Islamic chanting, and speeches by Christian Catholic and Protestant priests.

Ahead of the sermon, Benjamin Idriz, the preacher who led the prayers, said the move was historic for Muslims in Germany.

"In the sermon, I will deliver messages to both Muslims and non-Muslims in Germany. I will talk about the common values, and will urge the German society to open up to Muslims and visit their mosques, and also urge Muslims to open up to the German society," the Macedonian-born German preacher said.

The emergence of extremist groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has added psychological pressure on Muslims in Germany, the 43-year-old preacher said.

He said that broadcasting the Eid program will help the Muslim community feel more welcome and as an integral part of Germany.

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