Jeddah, July 02 (QNA) - The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has condemned the Israeli Knesset's preliminary approval of a bill that would prohibit the Muslim call to prayer from being broadcast through loudspeakers in occupied East Jerusalem and in Palestinian areas occupied of 1948.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the OIC's General Secretariat described the proposed legislation as a "flagrant violation" of freedom of religion and worship, as well as cultural and religious rights protected under international law.
The organization said the bill represented a "dangerous escalation" in a series of Israeli measures and legislation targeting the Palestinian presence and Arab and Islamic identity. It said the proposal amounted to a direct attack on Islamic religious practices and holy sites.
The OIC also said that restricting the call to prayer would violate international legal obligations and conventions that guarantee the right to practise religious rites without discrimination or restriction.
The organization called on the international community, particularly the United Nations and its relevant bodies, to take action to halt Israeli measures that "contravene international law" and to ensure the protection of freedom of worship and Islamic holy sites. (QNA)