Israel muffles the muezzin

Catherine Hardy

 

 

JERUSALEM: -- An Israeli ministerial committee has voted to support a bill enforcing lowering the volume of loudspeakers calling worshippers to prayer in mosques.

 

Arab-Israeli lawmakers have described the planned legislation as racist.

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the bill will improved the quality of life for all Australians.

 

“This is the custom in many cities in Europe as well as in various places in the Muslim world, where they limit the volumes for the sake of the general public. I support similar legislation and enforcement in the state of Israel.”

 

The government has also voted to support a bill to allow settlers in the occupied West Bank to remain in homes built on privately-owned Palestinian land.

 

The Supreme Court had ruled the government must evacuate the few dozen families living on the Amona settlement.

 

But some lawmakers wanted to pay those living there compensation and allow them to stay.

 

Israel has occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the 1967 Middle East war.

 

Palestinians want the territories, as well as the Gaza Strip, for a state.

 

However, peace talks have stalled since 2014.

 

 

-- © Copyright Euronews 2016-11-15

One thing I could not stand in Bali was loudspeakers calling worshippers to prayer in mosques. The sound was annoyingly loud. I do not blame them.

'Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the bill will improved the quality of life for all Australians '

 

Man, must be LOUD!

18 minutes ago, webfact said:

....loudspeakers calling worshippers to prayer in mosques....

 

Why can't they just teach them to know it's prayer time by just looking at a clock?

34 minutes ago, NumbNut said:

'Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the bill will improved the quality of life for all Australians '

 

Man, must be LOUD!

 

Yes I think most REAL Australians don't give a hoot about religious prayer times. 555

 

And yes. Buy a watch and look at it from time to time you backward lot.

 

P.S Give they Palestinians their land back. Or start giving them pieces of Israeli land as compensation. See how you like it. You're just going to cause more violence.

2 hours ago, Ulysses G. said:

One thing I could not stand in Bali was loudspeakers calling worshippers to prayer in mosques. The sound was annoyingly loud. I do not blame them.

Agreed.  The call to prayer use to be done with just the voice.  Now, each mosque is trying to out do the other.  The loud speakers are ridiculous.  Especially the first one!  The rest don't bother me. LOL

My idea:

stop it all together. Instead send an SMS to all "ye faithful", telling them that the sun is up and to get their behinds to the mosque, pronto. If there is still the need for an authentic, ululating morning chant: make it a ringtone, keep it personal, not bothering anyone else.

Must have been dozing, but is  Nethanyahu now PM of Australia ?

 

 

'Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the bill will improved the quality of life for all Australians'

Smart phone apps are available which can be set to alert the users to prayer times, lots of my Muslim friends use them. Also you just have to look in the street and watch the crowds streaming towards the mosque to realise it's time to go. Loudspeakers not required, just like the ones in every village or moo bahn that spout the National Anthem and then a lot of irrelevant news at 8am every morning and set all the dogs barking. We have phones, radio and TV now, no need for it.

3 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

Agreed.  The call to prayer use to be done with just the voice.  Now, each mosque is trying to out do the other.  The loud speakers are ridiculous.  Especially the first one!  The rest don't bother me. LOL

 

In Malang Central Java, I once estimated there to be a mosque every 300metres.  From 0430 onwards, the cacophony was incredible!

 

In the Netherlands a law was passed restricting the use of loudspeakers.     A certain group of people wanted church bells to be stopped.   I don't know how successful they were, but one wonders why they migrated if they're not ready to assimilate.

 

In Bali I keep clear of areas where there are mosques.

1 minute ago, masuk said:

 

In Malang Central Java, I once estimated there to be a mosque every 300metres.  From 0430 onwards, the cacophony was incredible!

 

In the Netherlands a law was passed restricting the use of loudspeakers.     A certain group of people wanted church bells to be stopped.   I don't know how successful they were, but one wonders why they migrated if they're not ready to assimilate.

 

In Bali I keep clear of areas where there are mosques.

Right.  To be fair, I've had a few sleepless nights due to church bells also. LOL

Electronic amplification certainly was not available in the time of the Prophet, so would seem to be against their teachings.

 

When I lived in Phra Kanong, we rented a 7th floor condo couple hundred feet from local Mosque. We were on about same level as loudspeakers. Whee! Loud, but could still hear TV usually. I agree should be unamplified, as per the good old days when no one had a watch. But we got used to it, didn't even wake in middle of night. I understand need for 5 times a day; brainwashing works best if not just a once week sort of event.

1 hour ago, craigt3365 said:

Right.  To be fair, I've had a few sleepless nights due to church bells also. LOL

While in oz I live about 50m from a Uniting and 150m from a catholic church. Never heard a tinkle out of either.

Sounds reasonable to me. 

There is a Wat across the road from where l stay when l'm in Pattaya.

lt gets a little loud at times but its also melodious & helps me drift off to sleep.

The call to prayer can be beautiful when sung well, especially at dawn, but the whole has got out of hand with the loudspeakers.

In Indonesia I used to live near a mosque that broadcast by loudspeaker not only the call to prayer five times a day but all the services, speeches and religious gatherings that took place. I got the impression that this practice became more extreme after 9/11, when Islam became galvanised by a sense of insecurity. Nobody living nearby dared complain.

 

Troll post removed.  

Troll post removed.  

Just another way they like to thrust their religion in others faces. 

 

Good move. 

3 hours ago, JHolmesJr said:

Just another way they like to thrust their religion in others faces. 

 

Good move. 

 

It is about control and keeping the 'faithful' at heel. The crazy amplification has only been in the last 40 years or so, IE since the heavier politicization of the religion: before that it was not intrusive, was very localized and charming. 

As the Indonesians themselves used to say in respect of Islam: 99% statistic, 1% fanatic. Those numbers have shifted a bit in the last 25 years.

Well, seems like the Muslims in Israel found an ally, namely Orthodox Jews. In Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods, there's a siren sounded on Fridays to announce the start of the Sabbath. Granted, not nearly as much as noise pollution as some muezzin recordings, but still - they fear the new law will be used to curtail that too. Being part of Netanyahu's not that stable coalition, they pretty much told him to "rethink", and withdrew support. The bill goes back to a ministerial committee, at least for now.

 

Pulling back the bill may have averted another conflagration with the Palestinians and Jordan (and possibly, Muslims in general). As the new law was supposed to be applied within Israel, the issue of its enforcement with regard to the Al-Aqsa remained in doubt. Both Jordan and the Palestinian Authority had some harsh words on the matter. Guess it's a relief things panned out differently.

 

Ultra-Orthodox block bill to muffle Muslim prayer call, fearing Shabbat siren is next

http://www.timesofisrael.com/ultra-orthodox-block-bill-to-muffle-muslim-prayer-call-fearing-shabbat-siren-is-next/

 

 

 

Why not stop all the religious BS altogether......or am I being too liberal again?

1 minute ago, DriveByTrucker said:

Why not stop all the religious BS altogether......or am I being too liberal again?

 

Stop how?

Just now, Morch said:

 

Stop how?

 

Good question.....Education is key i'd say

2 minutes ago, DriveByTrucker said:

 

Good question.....Education is key i'd say

It would have to be a certain kind of education, the kind that religious people will always try to fight against.

 

Religious, secular, atheists, we need to get along. It's not realistic to expect everyone to be one way or the other. 

Edited November 16, 20169 yr by Jingthing

12 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

It would have to be a certain kind of education, the kind that religious people will always try to fight against.

 

Religious, secular, atheists, we need to get along. It's not realistic to expect everyone to be one way or the other. 

 

Agree. Problem of course is too often religious people dont want to get along with people of other religions, or worse still with atheists! Its time people who still believe in the thousands of years old fairy tales, and cause mayhem in the world to defend these fairy tales need to be properly educated.

And of course religion needs to be 10000% banned from politics

49 minutes ago, DriveByTrucker said:

 

Agree. Problem of course is too often religious people dont want to get along with people of other religions, or worse still with atheists! Its time people who still believe in the thousands of years old fairy tales, and cause mayhem in the world to defend these fairy tales need to be properly educated.

And of course religion needs to be 10000% banned from politics

 

I love it when people go on about fairy tales, while at the same time posting in a manner such as the above.

Let me rephrase: How, realistically?

2 minutes ago, Morch said:

 

I love it when people go on about fairy tales, while at the same time posting in a manner such as the above.

Let me rephrase: How, realistically?

 

Good for you that you love it. At least made someone happy today.

 

How realistically? Again, thats a good question, I mentioned education, but I never said I had the answer. Do you?

Just now, DriveByTrucker said:

 

Good for you that you love it. At least made someone happy today.

 

How realistically? Again, thats a good question, I mentioned education, but I never said I had the answer. Do you?

 

Oh, I'm not the one believing in fairy tales.

My versions usually involve Sisyphean undertakings, with doubtful rewards.