Woman in Burka Escorted From Florida County Meeting After Playing Call to Prayer Recording

A woman wearing a burka was escorted from a Florida county commissioners meeting Wednesday after playing a recording of the Islamic call to prayer during the public-comment period.

The incident unfolded as the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners heard from residents. Covered head-to-toe in black with only her left eye visible, the woman approached the podium but did not deliver a spoken statement. Instead, she played a recording of the call to prayer.

It was not immediately known whether the act was intended as a protest or a prank.

The recording continued for nearly a minute before Board Chairman Dave Eggers intervened. He noted that county rules require public speakers to provide verbal remarks rather than play recordings.

“Ma’am, you’re going to have to stop … stop the music, stop the tape,” Eggers said.

YOU MAY ALSO READ: Exploring Red Bull Assistant Fiona Hewitson's Wikipedia Biography: Involvement in Christian Horner's F1 Case Unveiled – NewsFinale

When the woman did not comply, a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office deputy went to the podium and escorted her out of the meeting room and the building.

The removal quickly prompted tension in the room, as several audience members shouted at and challenged Eggers over the decision.

“Please. Just please exercise some decorum and kindness of your own,” Eggers told the audience. “We’re all people living together here.”

Eggers then explained the board’s policy to those in attendance.

“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.”

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said the woman left the premises without further incident and will not face criminal charges.