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A woman wearing a burka was escorted out of a Florida county commissioners meeting on Wednesday after playing a recording of the Islamic call to prayer during the public comment period.
The incident occurred as the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners was listening to residents address the board. A woman covered head-to-toe in black, with only her left eye visible, and approached the podium. Rather than making a verbal statement, she activated a recording of the call to prayer.
It was not immediately clear whether the gesture was a protest or a prank.
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The audio played for nearly a minute before Board Chairman Dave Eggers interrupted, pointing out that county rules require public speakers to deliver verbal comments rather than play recordings.
“Ma’am, you’re going to have to stop … stop the music, stop the tape,” Eggers said.
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When the woman refused to comply, a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office deputy approached the podium and escorted her out of the meeting room and the building.
Her removal sparked immediate friction in the room, with several audience members shouting and arguing with Eggers over the decision.
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“Please. Just please exercise some decorum and kindness of your own,” Eggers told the audience. “We’re all people living together here.”
He further clarified the board’s rules to the crowd.
“We don’t allow taped things,” he said. “You can record the meeting, but we don’t allow taped activity like that. We ask you to come here and make comments, and that was not a comment. That’s why she was asked to step out.”
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The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the woman was escorted from the premises without further incident and will not face any criminal charges.
