Petition: Loud call for prayer (Adhan) in Uk mosques

I came across this petition whilst browsing through parliament.uk yesterday.

Allow loud call for prayer (Adhan) in UK mosques

The adhan, or Islamic call to prayer, is an integral part of the Muslim faith. The number of people practising the religion of Islam in the United Kingdom exceeds 3 million. Some neighbourhood towns have more than 50% Muslim population.

I believe its the right time to experiment and allow highly Muslim populated areas with a loud call for prayer at least 3 times a day not during anti-social hours.

The petition has 23,085 signatures and passed the required 10,000 for a government response 78 days ago. There has been no government response so far.

I remember working in Cairo briefly many years ago. I used to look forward to sitting on my apartment balcony at sunset overlooking the Nile, having just left work and listening to the call for prayer. I am not religious but there is something very hypnotic and calming about Adham, despite the fact I only know a handful of Arabic words. I spent several hours contemplating this petition and signed it before logging off and going to bed.

Just to set the record straight, I believe in equality across the board but dislike special rights or pandering. I also believe diversity to be a fact of life, not a virtue. At times certain individuals (both offline and online) call me out if a contradiction becomes apparent which is a good thing as it helps me revisit and re-examine my own thoughts and feelings.

My reasoning:

When it comes to human rights you can't cherry-pick what is acceptable and what is not dependant on culture or race. I am often asked why I support Islam when it condemns me for being homosexual. I don't support any particular religion but believe the freedoms which allow me to live my life the way I want also apply to everyone else. The same freedom which allows religious folk to challenge or even condemn my lifestyle also gives me the right to challenge aspects of the ideology they follow.

The petition is calling for a period of experiment (not during anti-social hours) with Adhan in predominantly Muslim areas. Is it really such a big deal? Heck we have church bells ringing on Sunday mornings.



Petition

I'm Muslim and I have no problems with your sexuality, mate.

Those who do in Britain nowadays are a minority.


As to the Adhan, it doesn't really affect me as I do not go to the mosque. (Long story)
If people are cool with it, cool, if they're not, cool again.


It is rather beautiful, more so than bells ringing I must say.

But I'm not swayed by my Faith to support this.
I think it should be a local council decision.

originally posted by: Hazardous1408
I'm Muslim and I have no problems with your sexuality, mate.

Those who do in Britain nowadays are a minority.


As to the Adhan, it doesn't really affect me as I do not go to the mosque. (Long story)
If people are cool with it, cool, if they're not, cool again.


It is rather beautiful, more so than bells ringing I must say.

But I'm not swayed by my Faith to support this.
I think it should be a local council decision.

Ok.. It doesn't sound too bad bit I wouldn't want to hear it every morning at the crack of dawn to be honest.
No offense..

a reply to: Misterlondon

I'm sure you're not alone in that.

a reply to: Morrad

This is a repeat thread.

but no I think a load call to prayer 3 plus times a day is obnoxious. I remember arguing about church bells being the same thing but bells don't speak and are neutral.

being agnostic how come Islam has to yell out a speaker in a western country. keep your religion to yourself.

and no you don't need a speaker to remember to pray if you're devoted Muslim. I'm tired of the pandering

a reply to: Morrad

Honestly, if these people's behavior hasn't been ingrained in them, not unlike like Pavlov's dog, and automatically begin to twitch and gallop off at certain times of EVERY day, then let them get alarm clocks! It equates to yet another selfish demand, and not only a constant reminder of who they are and what "standards" they live by, but a possible and happily planned and ongoing annoyance to the surrounding "infidels". I wonder if it's piped in around the Capital building to put a smile on our Commander In Chief's face and a song in his heart?

Snarky, but probably true....

I think that all religions including bell ringing should be removed from public life since every bodies right to not be bothered by religion outweigh the rights of the practitioners.

Keep it inside the churches and do not bother people who do not want to be bothered. Follow the golden rule.

a reply to: Morrad

I have 7 different churches within 6 blocks of my home. The bells are early mornings and evenings, from at least 3 of them.
One of them has someone who is very good playing entire somgs on the bells. I have learned to block that out. A mosque calling for prayer would make no difference at all.

a reply to: reldra

my local college has a bell that goes off every hour so no bells are not the same as someone yelling in Arabic how great Allah and Muhammad are and that it's time to pray.

originally posted by: JDmOKI
a reply to: reldra

my local college has a bell that goes off every hour so no bells are not the same as someone yelling in Arabic how great Allah and Muhammad are and that it's time to pray.

Say that at 6am sunday morning when the church is across the street. It is not a bell it is multiple bells playing a melody for some time. Not like the ding ding on the Little House on the Prairie church. No difference.

I think in a secular Country like this it's not a good idea. Obviously a matter ultimately for each Local Council to decide. The video above was cool to watch people's reactions to the call to prayer, even as a Muslim myself, it gave my head a nice buzz. Channel 4 here in the UK did a really cool Adhan during Ramadan 3 years ago.

originally posted by: shamstar
I think in a secular Country like this it's not a good idea. Obviously a matter ultimately for each Local Council to decide. The video above was cool to watch people's reactions to the call to prayer, even as a Muslim myself, it gave my head a nice buzz. Channel 4 here in the UK did a really cool Adhan during Ramadan 3 years ago.

Doesn't the UK have church bells? Does it vary how many times a day/week as to where in the UK?

Here something like this 'council' I keep hearing about would decide as well.

make it a zed electronic dubstep hot fiya drop ft skrillex call to prayer and london would be into it.

a reply to: reldra

Every Town and City used to have Church bells ringing on Sundays and for Weddings/Funerals, though I don't recall the last time I've heard them in the small Town I live in. Yes, local Councils administer the rules set out by Central Government, and also decide on local issues.

a reply to: DrakeINFERNO

I did come across something like that on youtube, the wife didn't approve, but I must admit the beat was kinda cool.

It is 2016, get a bloody app for the smart phone, you can have the call as loud as you want without having to have the general population and specifically those that do not believe in fairy stories disrupted..

Of course this is a bit more than just a minority that is having the right to practice it's religion, It is a continued Islamification of the UK. This situation is regarding not just one Mosque but all of them, it seems there would be little stopping any mosque in any part of the country from blazing this out, quite why this is needed in a Christian country is anyone's guess??...




RA

a reply to: slider1982

I have one person saying the UK is secular and one saying it is a 'Christian country'. I am sure there would be the same opposite answers from people in the US.

I say either all or none. Call to prayer and bells or no call to prayer and no bells.

originally posted by: reldra

originally posted by: shamstar
I think in a secular Country like this it's not a good idea. Obviously a matter ultimately for each Local Council to decide. The video above was cool to watch people's reactions to the call to prayer, even as a Muslim myself, it gave my head a nice buzz. Channel 4 here in the UK did a really cool Adhan during Ramadan 3 years ago.

Doesn't the UK have church bells? Does it vary how many times a day/week as to where in the UK?

Here something like this 'council' I keep hearing about would decide as well.

Not really.. used to alot more, and the ones we do still have are non intrusive..

a reply to: slider1982

Not sure what you mean by continued Islamification of the UK? Muslims number some 3 Million people here from all sorts of Muslim Schools of thoughts/sects etc with differing levels of faith.

Take the Petition itself as an example, it's thus far only attracted 23,000 signatures out of say 1 Million adult Muslims in a Country that has close to 65 Million people.

a reply to: reldra

It's a secular Country where State and Religion are separate, built on Christian foundations. Most identify themselves as Christians, though the majority do not observe the Christian faith except for special occasions.