Michigan Muslim decision

[lweinberg at mail.law.utexas.edu]

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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