CALL TO TOLERANCE: Hamtramck should not silence part of Muslims' faith (SEISMIC BARF ALERT!!!!!)

Detroit Free Press ^ | 4/20/2004 | Some idiot editorial writer

[RightWingAtheist]

As the area's premier community of immigrants, Hamtramck surely should be tolerant of different cultures. But in this city where church bells regularly ring, some residents are up in arms over a request that the city's five Muslim mosques be able to broadcast daily calls to prayer.

[RightWingAtheist]

BAAARRRRFFFFFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Petronski]

I remember well dining on a balcony in Montreal when the call to moongodsquats went off about half a block away. Very creepy.

As I recall, I promptly ordered another beer and a BLT.

[Libertina]

Church bells don't pump out religious demands 5 times a day - early, late, or loud.

[netmilsmom]

The churches in Hamtramck are willing to cut the bells to get this stopped.

[lightman]

"Church bells don't make demands....."

That's because so few bells are actually being used to the fullest and richest potential. Besides signaling the approach of a worship service or the start of a service, a single bell should be rung continually throughout the congregation praying the Lord's Prayer so that those in the vicinity who are unable to attend the service might at least be summoned to pray, wherever they happen to be.

There are some fascinating discussions on how bells were a communication tool in pre-electric America in some of the books by Eric Sloan; also a wonderful listing of the many ways bells could be utilized today in the Book of Occasional Services of the Lutheran Book of Worship, 1978.

[Becki]

Church bells don't turn Muslims or Jews into Christians; there's no reason to think the Muslim call to prayer will undermine other faiths.

They say this now, butt then why are they being silenced?

Becki

[Becki]

butt = but

[blush]

[Ichneumon]

LOL! Nice graphic.

Since the city council has already gone ahead and approved this, I think the appropriate public reaction should be to wait for each of the five-times-daily Muslim prayer calls to start over the loudspeakers, and then at that moment start blaring their own amplified performances of the Lord's Prayer, the Star Spangled Banner, Zog Nit Keynmol (song of resistance from the Jewish Vilnius ghetto), church bells, a speech by Daniel Pipes, an Arial Sharon press conference, the Beatles' "Why Don't We Do It In the Road", or whatever strikes their fancy.

[Mears]

I heard it in Spain and it was,as you said,very loud.

It didn't bother me much then because it was pre 9/11,but now it would give me the chills.

[nightdriver]

Since about 1892, islam is essentially illegal in the United States. I guess we sorta pick and choose which laws we obey in this country.

[henderson field]

Don't you mean Call to Cultural Pollution (and more of it)?

[Dan from Michigan]

I'm thinking the movie Iron Eagle on a giant TV screen......

[GATOR NAVY]

First of all, the calls to prayer will be in Arabic, so they will reach only those who speak the language.

As someone who lives in Japan, where neighborhood loudspeaker announcements are very common, let me advise the writer that not speaking the language of said announcements does not make them any less annoying.

[RightWingAtheist]

I'd play "Dear God" by XTC at full blast.

[quantim]

It will be interesting to see if The Detroit News projects the same barf this weekend. They are sure to weigh in on the smelly side.

where two-thirds of the public school students speak a language other than English at home.

Well, at least a third speak English to some degree.

First of all, the calls to prayer will be in Arabic, so they will reach only those who speak the language

What the heck does that mean?  So I tell everyone at the grocery store to STFU only because they understand English?

Other recent threads on this forum on this topic:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1121563/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1121988/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1121901/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1120870/posts

 

[SandRat]

Fair is fair. Every church in Hamtramick should ring the bells for every service to include Vespers, Saturday confession, Funerals, Weddings what ever the service.

Sorry Imam's and city council, but that's the way the bell tolls.

[Libertina]

I love church bells, I want my Christian nation. The fact is, if I wanted Islam I'd go visit overseas :(

[Libertina]

Not only ring, but air a two-minute reading of the Bible to come to worship. LOUDLY. Proudly. Sonorously.

[Agitate]

This is utterly disgusting. I am a Christian, what would happen if my church blasted psalms out or speakers? Can you say ACLU lawsuit???

If we don't fight for this country, we will lose it. The inequity and preference towards islam and muslims in the name of being PC is getting worse daily.

We can all get mad but are the people of MI doing anything about it? Is the ACLU filing a suit?

[sheik yerbouty]

The screeching from the minarets is noise pollution. Such noise would hazardous to people working nearby. OSHA should step in..