‘Call to prayer’ volume is questioned
About 200 to 300 Muslim residents attended Tuesday’s regular city council meeting. They were concerened that the city was going to stop the call to prayer. They were told that was not the case, but there had been complaints filed with the city about the volume level of the call at some of the mosques.
By Charles Sercombe
For a moment there, it was like 2004 in city hall all over again on Tuesday night.
The issue: the Muslim call to prayer.
At Tuesday’s regularly scheduled city council meeting a discussion was held on forming a “focus group” to address a formal complaint filed with the city over the volume of the call to prayer at some of the local mosques.
About 200 to 300 Muslim residents and those living just outside the city came to the meeting to protest what they thought was an attack on the call.
City Manager Katrina Powell stressed that the issue is only about addressing a complaint about the volume level of the call.
“There is nothing happening to the call to prayer,” Powell said. “No one is here to end the call to prayer.”
She also noted that the city’s “noise” ordinance gives the broadcast of church bells and the call to prayer “limited exemption,” and that the ordinance needs to formalize the definition of the maximum volume allowed in order for it to be enforced.
The timing of the matter being put on the agenda by Powell came under attack by former Councilmember Cathie Gordon, who is attempting to win back a seat on council next Tuesday during the General Election.
Gordon said she took “offense” that the issue was being addressed just a week before the election.
Powell said the ordinance regarding noise requires that when a formal complaint is filed with the city it has to be placed on the council agenda.
As for the complaint filed, many of the speakers said it had more to do with influencing next Tuesday’s election.
After the election, said Masud Khan, “you won’t hear any complaints. … This is dirty politics.”
Dr. Abur-Rahman Al-Omaisan of the Abu Bakr Al-Siddque Islamic Center on St. Aubin said the complaint keeps coming from “the same individual who has a problem” with his mosque.
“Why is this individual after us? Why is this individual targeting us?” he said.
The complaint originated from Susan Dunn, who is running for a seat on city council. She complained about the volume of the call at the last regular council meeting.
At that meeting she played a recording she made while inside her house with her windows and doors shut. The call to prayer came from the Abu Bakr Al-Siddque Islamic Center about two blocks away from her house.
Dunn submitted a complaint with a petition signed by several others in her neighborhood.
“All I have asked for is mutual respect,” she said.
Back in 2004 the city council at that time proposed an ordinance to regulate how many times the call to prayer could be broadcast. That proposal opened the flood gates to those in favor of the call and those against it.
The debate in city hall became heated numerous times, and the issue drew the attention of the international media.
The proposal passed, but every so often complaints have been made about the volume of the call from the various mosques in the city. There are about a dozen mosques located in the city and in nearby neighborhoods outside the Hamtramck border.
11 Responses to ‘Call to prayer’ volume is questioned
Leave a Reply
Guest
October 31, 2015 at 1:57 pm
Strange, how come no one is complaining about the loud music on the labor day festival?
An ordinance specifying noise level limitations “scientifically measured” in the city will be the best solution.
Neighbor
November 1, 2015 at 10:02 am
Interesting read
http://rvanews.com/news/measuring-the-city’s-new-noise-ordinance/50726
Wonder what would the measurement be inside Dunn’s house.
joe blo
November 17, 2015 at 11:54 am
Labor day festival is one day….not every single day.
Odd how blind people are to reality.
Allam
November 19, 2015 at 1:20 pm
Average prayer call: 1 min x 3 times day = 3 mins x 356 = 1068 min / 60 min = 17.8 hours.
And much much lower volumen.
Labor day = Definitely more time and loudness than prayer call time.
Guest
November 20, 2015 at 7:53 pm
I don’t think this issue needs much thinking. Establish a noise level (By Ordinance) and after scientifically measuring the noise level, a ticket should be issued whether it’s a prayer call or a music event ( The law should be applied fairly and without discrimination ). Someone’s music or prayer call or church bells might be someone else’s noise.
Mike
December 15, 2015 at 6:08 pm
Is the Labor Day celebration at 6 am? Is it every single day? Ridiculous to compare the two
Guest
December 15, 2015 at 7:50 pm
Allam, no one employs comparative analysis like that.
Allam
December 16, 2015 at 10:18 am
Mike said” Is the Labor Day celebration at 6 am? Is it every single day? Ridiculous to compare the two”
Please Mike go back and read the call to prayer ordinance, I believe it set the time when the call is to be broadcasted.
If a noise level is established. It should be applied without discrimination to all events whether it is prayer calls, festivals, marching bands, delivery trucks and anything producing noise.
A law is a law. You can’t pick and choose.
Friend
January 6, 2016 at 11:46 am
I don’t hear Two Bosnian Mosques calling for prayer everyday or 6am hard working people respected by there community if they pray they know what time is it prayer never had issues with Bosnian community look up too these people and there worship. And they have speakers on top off the roof too i live across from there Mosque i see them going to Mosgue like civilians and good people no blasting prayer calls .
Ham Native
January 9, 2016 at 8:24 am
Having a call to prayer is totally against our separation of church and state. Totally. This is not Middle East. We do not require call to prayer in our city laws. Is the beginning of wholesale changes, tilting towards a religion? I PRAY TO GOD IT IS NOT.
Randy
July 16, 2016 at 11:03 pm
So what IS the Hamtramck noise ordinance?