Woman in burka escorted from Florida commissioners meeting after playing call to prayer recording

A woman wearing a burka was escorted out of a Florida county commissioners meeting on Wednesday after she played a recording of the Islamic call to prayer during the public comment period.

The incident took place at a meeting of the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners, which was hearing from residents at the time. The woman, who was covered in black from head to toe with only her left eye visible, walked up to the podium. She did not speak. Instead, she started an audio recording of the call to prayer.

It was not immediately clear whether her action was meant as a protest or a prank.

The recording ran for nearly a minute before Board Chairman Dave Eggers stepped in. He noted that county rules require people addressing the board to speak in person rather than play recordings. "Ma'am, you're going to have to stop … stop the music, stop the tape," Eggers said.

The woman did not stop the audio. A deputy from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office then went to the podium and escorted her out of the meeting room and the building.

Her removal caused immediate tension in the room. Several people in the audience shouted and argued with Eggers over the decision. "Please. Just please exercise some decorum and kindness of your own," Eggers told them. "We're all people living together here."

Eggers then explained the board's policy to those present. "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 confirmed that the woman left the premises without any further incident. The office also said she will not face criminal charges.