A mosque that wants to play the ‘call to prayer’ during the Covid-19 pandemic said it has “no intention of disturbing the community”.

Harrow Central Mosque, in Station Road, put forward a planning application that could allow it to broadcast the adhan once a week on Fridays at 6pm.

It applied for permission for an initial three months, but representatives said they could look to extend this if measures in response to the coronavirus pandemic continued.

Several members of the public – particularly those living close to the mosque – have raised concerns around the immediate noise and the fear that it could lead to more calls to prayer throughout the year.

The application has received hundreds of comments, while an online petition opposing the broadcast has been backed by thousands of people.

But Jahangeer Choudry, general secretary of Harrow Central Mosque, insisted this would be a short-term measure, lasting for “two or three minutes” once a week and, if approved, would be halted once the pandemic eased.

He explained there was “no plans” to play the adhan five times a day as is customary in some countries.

And he assured residents that worshippers would not flock to the mosque as this call to prayer has a specific ending – urging people to “pray at home” – and would be broadcast outside regular prayer hours.

Mr Choudry said: “We are not asking people to come to the mosque or indeed carry out formal prayers, it is a symbol of hope and solidarity just like church bells ringing in support of this initiative at the same time on Friday.

“The mosque only intends to promote peace and harmony and not unrest of any sort; the prayer being sought is with the wider multi-faith and intended for the entire community of Harrow who have suffered during the pandemic.”

He added that such a project would be typical for Islamic communities since “Muslims believe that, at times of natural disaster, plague or calamities, the call to prayer is done outside normal prayer times to seek solace and relief from God”.

The initiative follows on from a campaign by Rehana Choudry encouraging all places of worship in Harrow to take a weekly moment to pause and reflect on the impact of Covid-19.

It started on Friday (May 22) and Mrs Choudry said it was the perfect opportunity to show that Harrow has “always welcomed cultural and religious diversity”.

However, the application by the mosque is a separate issue since it requires planning permission from Harrow Council.

The council will hold a formal consultation on the request before it is brought before the planning committee.