Would you object to an amplified Muslim Call to Prayer?

[tortoiseSHELL]

Story here - would you mind? Do you mind church bells ringing? What are your reasons?

Don't know what I think - would be interested to hear your thoughts!

Hecate has it spot on I think. The UK is culturally Christian (ie it's the majority culture), but practising Christians (those who attend church at least once a week) are definitely in the minority.

I'm an atheist and a UK citizen (or subject, grrrr) - does that mean I should have fewer rights than those who identify themselves as Christians?

Roll on disestablishment.

Yes I would mind.

And for once I agree with moondog . When they start building christian churches and ringing bells on a sunday in muslim countries then I will accept it with good grace.

I would mind.

I don't see what diffrence it makes if Britian is primarily Christian. Are you really so intolerant?

Maybe its not intolerance, maybe its fear. I don't see anything to be scared of. Having loads of diffrent cultures in your country is enriching.

Whaddyamean 'for once' Mosschops??

mosschop - so will you be in support of the courts and police when they start applying the law in accordance with what country people might have relations living in, rather than the laws we have here? And Eleusis's dd will be allowed to carry a gun (because in her mother's country of origin it is allowed) but NOT to drink until she is 21 because it wouldn't be allowed in her mother's country of origin?

And what about the muslim members of DP's family? They come from a country where there are plenty of chistian churches...

This is not a question of nationality, it is a question of noise levels which has been applied to a question about one religion.

Quite right, Policywonk.

And culturally Ice Cream vans are just as 'defining' of this country as church bells -and if one starts blaring out 'Greensleeves' outside my wondow at 5am I will complain to the council.

Hmm, I'm not sure what I think tbh, I wouldn't want to be woken up at dawn by it that's for sure.

The Uk is a christian country btw, that's why we have a Church of England, based on a form of christianity, but it is true that many people are not practising Christians.

I didnt want to say this earlier in case i offended anyone but i also agree with the poster who said she doesnt object to the call to prayer in this a CHristian country (i know some disagree that it is, but i believe it is)so long as church bells ring out in Muslim countries.

As i said i love the sound of it myself and it wouldnt bother me in the least and i consider myself very tolerant of other religions (as does this country in general)and i am happy for mosques and other places to worship being built. However, what bothers me is that how many Muslim countries would be happy for us to build churches?

There are many tolerant Muslim countries, for insatnce Turkey and Tunisia where i visit regularly. there are Christain places of worship although this obviously makes up only a small part of the country. These countries are in the minority though. No way would stricter countries Like Saudi allow other places of worship.

This is what makes me cross. Any religion can not only practice here, but also spout hate about Christainity if they feel like it, but do you think this would be so if we were to do this in other countries?

Even in tolerant countries, i dont think id last long if i got off the plane and preached hate about Islam.

Im glad our country is the way it is, id hate us to be so intolerant of other faiths(and in fact im really interested in hearing about other religions)but i think we get taken the piss out of.

Turkey aint that tolerant,believe me.
it is officially but go out East and thnigs arerather alarming.

wHERE DID you live and how come you were there?

Erm actually Britian is not a Christian country at all. Officially we are a secular democracy.

I lived in Van (by Iranian border) for 3 years. My dh was working on DFID economic davpt. project there.

I loved it actually. Turkey is brilliant .

Excuse me, concealed weapons are illegal where I am from (Chicago suburb). And my DD will not be getting one.

Not in the slioghtest, the call to prayer is a lovely sound- far better than the call to the M4 which we hear constantly!

Your DH was doing a what??!

I adore Turkey. We have bben going for yrs.

Do you speak Turkish? I learned conversational Turkish at college a frw yrs ago. Would like to learn it at a higher level when i get chance..

When our mortgage is paid in a few yrs we're gonna buy a property there. Well i am, just gotta talk DP round!

I am not for one second saying that we should have the call to prayer in this country but just wanted to say that in many Muslim countries people are not very literate and even though they may have watches they would also need access to a prayer timetable. Without the call to prayer they would not necessarily know when it is time.

Oh and near the Mosque I know, its mainly a muslim area to live anyway- so they can get to the Mosque at stupid-o'-clock.

Not in a nsasty, get thee out of ehre O'Christian way, more a thats just how it evolved sorta way

Work for dept. of International Development.
I can get by in Turkish. Had daily lessons for a year.

Sorry Blu I have no idea what youre talking about, not in reference to my post anyway

Yes the noise would piss me off, as would church bells five times a day.

Agree with others who say that yes in Britain we do get the piss taken out of us a bit and if I moved to a predominantly muslim country then I would respect their culture and religions.

Eluesis - of course your dd wopn't be getting a gun - but theoretically, when she is grown up, she would have much greater 'freedom' to bear arms in America than she will as a citizen of this country.

The theoretical point I was making is one of principle about the spuriousness of deciding whether any noise should be allowed, based on a rough assesment of whether the presumed perpetrators of the noice might have relatives of earlier generations who lived in a country where it was allowed.

because, as a supporter of Moondog's original cmment on this matter, you are one of the people who seems to consider it reasonable to apply law depending on the laws of the country someone's forbears may or may not have come from.

Which sounds illogical and discriminatory to me.

And thank you, Prufrock, for your observations on Britain.

Mosschop - in saying you will be in support of a call to prayer when some Muslim states alow Christian churches, you are saying you agree that law should be applied according to what country peolple come from.

imo you, Moondog and Eluesis are arguing on an illogical premise that british people, Muslim and otherwise, should base decisions on noise in reaction to what goes in elsewhere, and not in relation to the laws of this country. You wnat foreign principles and laws of intolerance to apply here for certain groups of people.

no what I'm saying is there has to be some give and take, and it seems to me that Britain gives, gives, gives with little in return.

Blu,politics is based on withholding goods and services until people start behaving in a more tolerant and civilised fashion.

Zimbabwe?
South Africa?
Sanctions?

Should we just keep giving out then,regardless of how abominably people behave?