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2004-04-22 Home Front: Culture Wars

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Posted by John Long Hair 2004-04-22 01:02|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 A holy war of sorts is heating up in a Detroit suburb, where members of the local Muslim community want loudspeakers on mosques to announce the Islamic call to prayer five times each day.

Couldn't they all just wear headphones so that the rest of us don't feel like we're in Somalia. Come to think of it some sections of Detroit have that open dumpster in the hot sun smell that means Ummah to me.

Posted by Super Hose 2004-04-22 2:05:29 AM|| 2004-04-22 2:05:29 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 SH - nope, nope, no headphones. It's in the Koran somewhere. You could look it up...

Posted by PBMcL 2004-04-22 2:16:51 AM|| 2004-04-22 2:16:51 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Free speech is not unlimited in practice. You are not legally permitted to yell "fire!" in a crowded theater nor are you allowed to make death threats to people. Municipal codes have well established restrictions on amplified audio broadcasts made during off hours. While church bells can be defined as a call to prayer, there is no intrinsically theistic message carried by their ringing. In addition, the overwhelming majority of their operation during off hours is to provide a timekeeping function which is bereft of any religious significance. Ergo, their comparison with the Adhan has insufficient merit for co-consideration.

Communities with a Muslim majority might conceivably be able to pass exceptions to local noise ordinances but they would have to be carried by a larger voting share than 51% and most definitely should not be subject to a city council vote. I would venture that, like some property tax measures, a two-thirds majority would be required.

I see this issue as being more of an attorney's billing opportunity than anything else.

Posted by Zenster 2004-04-22 2:44:45 AM|| 2004-04-22 2:44:45 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Well, it's ok with me.

I'm sure they won't mind when the Jews, Catholics, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, Mormons, Christian Scientists, Jehovahâs Witnesses, 7th Day Adventists, Buddhists Wiccaâs, Druids, Satanists, atheists and all the other religions get to do the same .

Going to get a little noisy though.

Posted by B 2004-04-22 3:01:46 AM|| 2004-04-22 3:01:46 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 PS... I really like Onward Christian Soldiers. I guess they can play more than just the tune now.

Posted by B 2004-04-22 3:03:44 AM|| 2004-04-22 3:03:44 AM|| Front Page Top

#6 End result - outlaw chirch bells. I'm sure that the ACLU is on it.

Posted by Super Hose 2004-04-22 4:07:41 AM|| 2004-04-22 4:07:41 AM|| Front Page Top

#7 C'mon, everybody knows that Hamtramck is like the 3,047th most holiest site in Islam! Why shouldn't it have the Black Tongue of Mordor piped o'er the land?

Posted by Cthulhu Akbar 2004-04-22 10:55:40 AM|| 2004-04-22 10:55:40 AM|| Front Page Top

#8 Cthulhu Akbar :

Why shouldn't it have the Black Tongue of Mordor piped o'er the land?

I thought Frodo and Sam destroyed the Sauronian sect at Mt. Doom? Does the black tongue live on? YIKES!

Posted by Anonymous4052 2004-04-22 1:17:46 PM|| 2004-04-22 1:17:46 PM|| Front Page Top

#9 Church bells are NOT usually rung to call the faithful, there are rung AFTER the service. Don't the speakers sound a bit Orwellian? I would make sure the ones near my house 'malfunctioned' after the first 'screech to prayer' that I heard over my TV.

Posted by Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) 2004-04-22 1:40:46 PM|| 2004-04-22 1:40:46 PM|| Front Page Top

#10 Anybody want to bet some $ that the first week finds the loudspeakers suffering from lead inhalation?

Posted by mac 2004-04-22 10:43:54 PM|| 2004-04-22 10:43:54 PM|| Front Page Top

08:24 Jen
08:16 raptor
04:45 Zenster
04:16 Zenster
04:10 .com
04:08 Jen
03:55 Zenster
03:36 Jen
01:25 Super Hose
01:18 Super Hose
01:05 Super Hose
00:53 Frank Martin
00:15 RWV
00:06 RWV
23:59 Pappy
23:53 ruprecht
23:47 Bomb-a-rama
23:45 Pappy
23:43 Bomb-a-rama
23:39 Robert Crawford
23:39 Bomb-a-rama
23:36 Robert Crawford
23:34 CrazyFool
23:30 Halfass Pete