Loudspeakers and Muslims

" To the all important matter of prayer; could one think of a better way to come within ones self than to pray? Prayer in any form is also a meditation and cleanses ones self --- and praying six times cannot surely be a bad thing. A Muslim does not need a particular place to pray but mosques have been erected because it affords a place for communal prayers – to gather with fellow believers and pray together."
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(March 03, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian)I read with much concern that Muslim MPs have all come together to demand of the government that it bring legislation to overturn the Supreme Court ruling on noise pollution. As a long suffering resident of a place close to a Mosque and two Buddhist temples I wish to state that this practice of a loud call to prayer through amplifiers and Pirith though the night broadcast to one and all, is a violation of my right to peace and quiet.

I am a student of the preaching of the Prophet; though not a Muslim I am an admirer of those who practice Islam (Islam means total submission to God). I am also all at one with the Muslims who confess direct to God without intermediaries (Mullahs or Imams only lead the communal prayers). Islam prescribes for believers both attitude of mind and specific duties, most important of all is of course the acceptance of the uniqueness, the power and authority of almighty God.
Islam’s fundamental duties, practices and beliefs are as follows: the profession of faith, daily prayer (six times a day), Zakat or the giving of a portion of ones earnings to the poor, fasting to realise what those who are compelled to starve because of poverty go through (it is also a great self discipline) and finally the pilgrimage to Mecca to strengthen their faith.

The religion is essentially practical and this is indeed its strong point, The dead are buried within hours before petrification sets in, though some believers gave it another reason based on belief and associated with the concept of ascension. Even the concept of Halal can be understood in the context of the fact that the Prophet did not wish people to eat the flesh of dead animals – just as the eating of pig meat is forbidden (there was no farm pork in those times) because the pig was a scavenger and ate even excreta and this would result in bowel disease. Alcohol is prohibited for obvious reasons; commerce is advocated and encouraged.

To the all important matter of prayer; could one think of a better way to come within ones self than to pray? Prayer in any form is also a meditation and cleanses ones self --- and praying six times cannot surely be a bad thing. A Muslim does not need a particular place to pray but mosques have been erected because it affords a place for communal prayers – to gather with fellow believers and pray together. Now to the summoning to prayer - in the villages at the time of the prophet there would not have been clocks and it was necessary to remind the faithful that it was time to pray; hence minarets were erected from where the human voice carried to the village and called the faithful to come to the Mosque or to pray where ever they may be at that particular time. Minarets certainly had a purpose and a use in those medieval times but do the Muslims of today in this 21st Century need to be reminded to pray or to come to the Mosque through a powerful public address system? No, I do not think so; Muslims who are all devout practitioners of their religion know their obligations to themselves and to God. The believer knows when the hour of prayer is at hand, he can recite the Shahada and say Allahu Akbar "God is great" without any prompting or reminding through a loud speaker. He could praise Allah, pledge obedience to Him, the supreme one, the only deity to be worshiped, pray and recall His glory and seek his protection. Yes he should be able to discharge his principal obligation without disturbing any one. Where the whole community consists of Muslims it does not matter to even have a public address system to call the faithful to prayer in the very early hours of the morning for they know that prayer is better than sleep but in communities where people of other faiths live and where they are in a majority I am certain that Allah would not wish the old and the sick and feeble and also infants and children to be disturbed by a loud call to prayer of another religion. It only creates unnecessary animosity. We do hope that our Muslim brothers will understand that in the name of the compassionate and merciful Allah they should not disturb other citizens.

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