I find the below message somewhat disturbing. The
thought of having amplified Muezzins five times a day calling to prayers
in my own residential community is disturbing. My neighbors and I would
be forced repeatedly to talk over or stop our ears against intrusive
chanted messages from a faith we do not share. I fail to see why a
town government in America, even one in which a majority of the
population is Moslem, should be allowed to impose religious harangues on
the minority of its residents who happen not to be Moslems. It is
true that these harangues are customary in Islamic traditions, but it is
the prayers that are a pillar of Islam, not the calls to prayer.
Once having made such an "accommodation," does the town then
have to broadcast immediately before or after each muezzin call the
Hebrew chant, "Hear O Israel, the Lord thy God, the Lord is
one?" Will an amplified shofar have to be blown five times a
day? How about The Lord's Prayer? And what noise will
accommodate the atheists? Unless the atheists are allowed to summon
their listeners to reason at least five times a day, why isn't all this
holy racket an establishment of religion?
At 08:07 AM 5/13/04, Stuart BUCK wrote:
An interesting law out of
Hamtramck, Michigan. It apparently amends the noise ordinance there
to allow loudspeakers to broadcast Muslim calls to prayer 5 times per
day. Story here:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-mosque6may06,1,4014143.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
or here:
http://www.freep.com/news/locway/call8_20040508.htm
Best,
Stuart Buck
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