Hamtramck-abad
Practitioners of the religion of peace have once again managed to piss off alot of people.
Last week the Hamtramck, MI City Council gave "initial approval" to allowing city mosques to broadcast calls to prayer over loudspeakers in a decision sure to piss off both infidels in general as well as muslims who might want to sleep in that day.
Not surprisingly, the council completely caved to muslim demands with a unanimous vote of support. Don't want to offend anyone, don't you know. Well, except for people who don't want to hear it, which is the rest of the city. Final approval was expected at last night's meeting.
Leaders of the city's muslims claimed that infringing on their right to make a goddamned racket through loudspeakers was actually infringing on their right to practice their religion, going on to claim that it was in their tradition to do so. I'm no more an expert on Islam than the next kaafir but as best I understand it, Islam did pretty well for itself through the 13 centuries that passed BEFORE electric amplification. And don't try and tell me that none of Hamtramck's umma has a damned watch to tell him when he's supposed to get down to some Mecca-facing.
We know though that the legal issues in question- noise ordinances, rights of religion- are only the mechanism muslim leaders are using to proselytise. Masud Khan, head of the Al-Islah Islamic Center, initiated this whole loudspeaker business. Pleased with the council vote, and after the requisite Allah-thanking, he added,
"Hamtramck is going to be a pioneer city for the whole United States."
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I lived for three years in a
I lived for three years in a big city (Izmir) in a Muslim country (Turkey). The call to prayer went out five times a day from numerous minarets within earshot. Just like living under the flight path of an airport or nearby train tracks, the call became just another background noise. Pretty in a way like church bells, but background noise nonetheless.
My two cents solution would be let 'em call all they want. Without amplification. Amplification is for wusses. [Geez, a guy hocks one Marshall and he turns into an opinionated prick.]
GP,
GP,
I think that would be a sensible compromise between the freee exercise of religion without anyone else being bothered by it.
Which is precisely why it would be unacceptable to Mr. Khan. Because it's about conquering, not compromising. Whatever Jim Marshall or Dr. Bose might think about it.
'Conquering' Well ain't that
'Conquering' Well ain't that a bitch?
NPR this morning says the investigators of the Madrid bombing found a tapre referring to Spain as "Andalucia," the old Islamic name. So, basically the thought is that those bombers wanted to make Spain revert to its Moorish roots. Go figure.
Maps,
Maps,
Yeah, militant types tend to overlook that Spain is not theirs, and didn't belong to them until muslim warriors stood on it and planted their flag.
It would be like Italy consistently referring to France as Gaul, or expressing its foreign policy in terms of relations with tribes instead of modern states. Franks, Goths, Picts, etc would fill the diplomatic correspondence, not modern places and peoples. But that anachronistic language appears to be characteristic of Arabic.
There was very little that
There was very little that was theirs before the conquered it, GeekLethal. Not even Mecca.
As for the article, I also consider it background noise. I used to live about 2 blocks from a mosque. Pretty in its own way, but background noise. The MI City Council, btw, also exempts church bells. If they didn't exempt those, they could probably get away with banning the callers too but the courts would (justifiably, IMO) consider it religious discrimination to ban one and allow the other.
I think the guitar picker's
I think the guitar picker's and Kathy K's metaphors of background noise are helpful in explaining the continual call to prayer. In this part of the world, USAF C5s and ANG A-10s can make Q U I T E a goddamn racket. But I don't really notice them much.
I think that if the question is church bells vs call to prayer, there are more differences than similarities. Church bells chime the hour and they're done. And yes, call to the faithful for services. But I think there is a difference between a sound, like a ringing bell, and an amplified human voice telling the city that Allah is this and Allah is that and if you don't get yourself to the mosque you're in trouble- whether it's in Arabic, Engrish, Hebrew, or Martian.
But the real issue isn't about noise, or whether churches or mosques make more of it. The fellow running this campaign was simply clever enough to cloak his true agenda as a civil rights issue.
And that makes it doubly unfortunate, because the Hamtramck loya jirga decided that devout muslims' rights to practice their religion (a claim which is ridiculous, since no one actually interfered with anyone going to mosque and worshipping) trumped everyone else's rights not to have to experience that religion.
GL, you have brought up
GL, you have brought up something that bugs me. Amplified church "bells" where the church has no actual bells. I dislike cheesy "MIDI through PA horn" songs squealing out at no particular demarcation of the day. Can these canned broadcasts be banned? Let no call to religion be electrically amplified.
Unless it's Texas and the call to worship is a high school football announcer. We have to make reasonable allowances after all. Them folks is nuts.
HI. I LIVE IN HAMTRAMCK.
HI. I LIVE IN HAMTRAMCK. THE CALL TO PRAYER HAS JUST BEGUN. IT IS BACKGROUND NOISE. IF YOU ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO HEAR IT, YOU WILL FIND IT VERY PLEASANT AND UNOBTRUSIVE. IT IS USUALLY MASKED BY NOISE FROM CARS WITHOUT MUFFLERS OR BASS RATTLING OUT OF TRUNKS.
MOST CITIZENS IN HAMTRAMCK ENJOY THE LOCAL COLOR. HONESTLY, WE ARE MORE CONCERNED WITH FIXING OUR SCHOOLS AND KEEPING OUT DETROIT'S ENCROACHING DRUG AND GUN HOUSES.
HAVE ANY OF YOU CHECKED OUT OUR DEMOGRAPHICS OR HISTORY?
THIS WHOLE CALL TO PRAYER ISSUE HAS ATTRACTED COMPLETE STRANGERS WITH NO INTEREST IN HAMTRAMCK AT ALL. WE ARE ALL (WHITE, ARAB, BLACK, ASIAN...) SICK AND TIRED OF THE RACIST SLURS AND UNSOLICITED ADVICE.
FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME.
Stop shouting!
Stop shouting!