I would recommend, along with the above, something to scare the Shiite out of 'em.....a laser show, with this!
Posted on 06/03/2004 3:25:50 PM PDT by missyme
HAMTRAMCK, Michigan -- Hamtramck, Michigan is a blue-collar town surrounded by the city of Detroit. Its downtown storefronts reflect the diversity of immigrants who settled here. But an influx of immigrants from the Middle East has transformed Hamtramck from a melting pot into a political powder keg. New Muslim residents are adopting American habits, driving SUVs and talking on cell phones. But many still cling to old customs, wearing traditional dress, and shopping at markets that sell "halal," or meat slaughtered according to Islamic law. Now one Bangladeshi mosque wants to revive a controversial ritual.
The Islamic call to prayer is a 1,400-year-old tradition, sung in most U.S. mosques within the walls. But the Al Islah Islamic Center says they should be able to broadcast over public loudspeakers in Arabic, five times a day, from 6am to 10pm.
The call to prayer states, "Allah is great…Mohammed is Allah's prophet…come to prayer. There is no god but Allah."
Mosque president Ahmed Motlib asked the city's permission to broadcast from rooftop loudspeakers. Motlib says, "Some people, they don't know what time is our congregation, only for congregation coming and participating. That's why we want to call prayer outside."
But the request has split the community. Hundreds signed a petition to block the broadcasts as a public annoyance.
Hamtramck resident Jerry Radziszewski says, "To me, this is disturbing the peace. They understand what it is. We don't. To us it's just a bunch of noise."
Mosque supporters say the Azan can already be heard from mosques in nearby Detroit No different, they say, from Christian church bells.
Motlib comments, "Azan is only two minutes, less than two minutes is noise. Every hour church bell, more than five minutes their bell make belling. So we don't feel anything bad."
Bob Zwollack is a former city clerk who led the petition drive. He says it is an issue of noise.
"Even if they got up on their towers and did it like they did 1,400 years ago," says Zwollack, "where you just had a call to prayer like before, there's not a problem. Who's going to object to that? Yes, they have a right to free speech, but the overall objection was an amplified sound, amplified religious statement."
But the dispute has escalated into a national controversy over religious freedom. The press converged on heated city council meetings, which exploded with calls for tolerance and charges of discrimination.
Hafiz Mohammed of the Islamic Association of Michigan, says, "Those people who are opposing Azan, our position is not a new phenomenon. They are racist! "
Council member Scott Klein says, "The folks I've seen leading this have nothing on the boys from Montgomery, the boys from Birmingham, the boys from Mississippi."
Hamtramck resident Bob Golen protests, "I am not a racist! My wife is not a racist."
Joanna and Bob Golen are life-long residents of this neighborhood, now largely owned by Bangladeshi newcomers. The Golens say they have been demonized for signing the petition.
Bob Golen says, "I don't tell them to believe in Jesus, I don't want them to tell me to believe in Mohommed. The call to prayer is fine, but don't evangelize me where I can't turn you off five times a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. They're going to tell me their god is the only true god? I don't have to listen to that."
The Golens say the mosque is forcing a foreign religion right onto their front porch, proselytizing on public airwaves.
Joanne Golen says, "Why is it wrong for them to practice their religion the way they want to? They can do it any way they want in their mosque, like we do in our churches, in their homes, like we do. I can even sit on my porch and pray silently. I'm all for them practicing their religion, but I do not want to hear over loudspeakers their god being praised in my ears five times a day."
Or, that Christian song that a lot of Churches sing: "Our God is an Awesome God"
What a shame. I used to go to Hamtramck with my dad to fix furnaces when I was a kid. It's a Polish Catholic town where you could buy the best Polish food and Polish bake goods and pastry.
Why don't these Mooslims leave the "great satan" and go live in an Islamic country where they won't be defiled by us Christians?
Like the piece said about tolerance, something to the effect that they don't have to tolerate us, but we have to tolerate them in our own house.
Religious tolerance for all!!!! (Except Christians and Jews, of course).
Out of respect for our soldiers that are dying in the name of ISLAM why the heck do we have to have a Mosque calling out to prayer in the USA 5 times a day? I don't get it?>>>
Please reread the First Amendment, if you can. If you can't, there are a number of countries you can move to.
I have a backyard neighbor that plays load arabic music that sounds like cats in heat. So on weekends when he starts this noise with his little radio I open the sliding glass doors to the den, crank up the 250 watts per channel multichannel mega amplified stereo and slip in Van Halen, Metalica, Hendrix,Ted Nugent, ZZ Top, Deaf Leappord, George Thorogood, or anything that must be played loud and rock the house. Its beautiful and gives me an excuse to crank it. The other neighbors applaud when I shut the arab squelch down to a level that only can be heard in his own space and the peace and quite return to normal. Than I just put the Giants game back on and work in the garden.
Don't be a dweeb you know what I mean...
Good for you!
I would recommend, along with the above, something to scare the Shiite out of 'em.....a laser show, with this!
"Political Powder Keg: Has Religious Tolerance Gone Too Far?"
As a Christian, I'd like to know: What religious tolerance?
Because Star Trek is set in the FUTURE!
Oh, did you think there was any difference between these Muslims and our "legacy" victim groups?
Now, THERE"S a Freeping Idea!!
The Hamtramck city council decision has been overturned by a citizens' petition, and will now go to general election.
Response: No.
Comment: There are two reasons: (1) Politicians need blocs of votes and politicians in these times will kill to woo those blocs;(2) Tolerance is defined as the inability to say Yes or No, the inability to take a stand. To take a stand requires a people. The U.S. has become merely a population.
Make that "read the bible" over loudspeakers five times a day. I'm thinking the aclu would be all over that one.
You know, the sad thing is that there's a really simple way around this...
First off, rather than loud speakers, the mosque could simply purchase a low or medium powered radio transmitter, and they could sell radio receivers to their congregation. Then, they could broadcast the call to prayers to their hearts content, without offending or bothering anyone else.
Since this simple idea was never brought up, it goes to reason that this isn't simply a way to notify believers that it's time to pray. It's a way to demonstrate their political power, and probably to intimidate the "infidels" too.
Mark
The "Public Call to Prayer" is a Statement of "Dominance."
Allowed to Persist, this "Islamic Tool of Intimidation" will be used to Dominate other American communities.
ALAS, Christian acts of Respect for Their God are expected to be Personal & Private, whereas "Muslim" "Acts of Obedience" are REQUIRED TO BE PUBLIC, & LOUD--&, Often, VIOLENT & HOMICIDAL!!
The Contrast between the "Precepts of" "Islam," & "Christianity" is Both PROFOUND & PROPHETIC!!
EITHER RATIONAL HUMANKIND "REPUDIATES & DESTROYS CONTEMPORARY ISLAM," or the "Psychopathology called 'Islam'" engulfs Contemporary Human Culture--and Humankind enters another Protracted "Dark Ages" from which we may NEVER Recover.
"Islam" is the "Dark Path" which will plunge "Humankind" into a "Redux of" the Twelfth Century.
There is NO, "Islamic Path" to Humanity's Future; "Islam" believes ONLY in our Past.
Doc
I don't know about Detroit .. but around my way Christian church bells aren't allowed to go off 5 times a day
BTW .. this stuff happened in a town in NJ .. I could be wrong, but even though there was a loud abjection to it .. I think the Muslims won and are allowed to do the call to prayers
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.