(Peterborough) A mosque in a British city submitted a requested to the city council for it to be able to broadcast the call to prayer 3 times a day to the faithful via outside speakers stating that each call would last no more than five minutes and would be sounded out through four loudspeakers which would be hidden from view which was backed up by the following press release:
“The call to prayer is only for a few minutes. It’s
extremely soothing and spiritually uplifting. It will not cause any impact in
the local neighbourhood. That would be against our religion. It will only be
transmitted in a small area around Masjid Ghousia which is predominantly
Muslim.”
Well the city council was having none of the above with one councillor
stating:
“In other circumstances, if someone played a
loud rock song three times a day every day, loud enough that it could be heard
by houses in the surrounding area because the listener finds it therapeutic,
the public would be within their right to complain and the council would
intervene. On what moral grounds can you deal with those who make excessive
noise that disturbs their neighbours when other noise pollution has been sanctioned
by the council themselves? As Muslims have attended prayers at this mosque for
years it is not necessary for the practicing of the religion and is therefore
unnecessary noise. Unwanted sound (where someone else chooses the frequency of
the noise, the duration, volume and type of noise itself) can illicit stress
responses in people, even without them being aware of it.To someone who has a
strong physiological response to unwanted sound it will be unbearable. The
importance of peace and quiet is undervalued in our busy world, we do not need
to add to it.”
