German courts dismisses tourists’ demand for compensation over call to prayer

BERLIN

The unnamed couple had filed a complaint against the Turkish company after they returned from a troubled holiday in Doğanbey in the western province of İzmir.

A court in Germany has ruled in favor of a Turkish tourism company that was sued by a German couple after they demanded compensation due to the noise of the adhan, the Islamic call to prayer, that they heard during their vacation in Turkey.

The unnamed couple filed a complaint against the Turkish company after they returned from a troubled holiday in Doğanbey in the western province of İzmir. The couple demanded back half the price they paid for the holiday, 1,161 euros, because of both the adhan “noise” and because of the bumpy landing of the airplane that returned them to Germany from the resort.

In the case numbered 559C 44/14, a local Hannover court refused to order compensation regarding the adhan complaint, stating that the Islamic call to prayer was a local feature in Turkey akin to the ringing of church bells in Germany.

“The complainants should have taken this authentic sound into account while booking for the resort,” the court said.

The court also ruled that the bumpy landing was due to the weather, something that was beyond the control of the tourism company.