Muslim call to prayer can now be broadcast publicly in New York City without a permit

MicroWave@lemmy.world to News@lemmy.world – 218 points – Muslim call to prayer can now be broadcast publicly in New York City without a permit
apnews.com

The Muslim call to prayer will ring out more freely in New York City under guidelines announced Tuesday by Mayor Eric Adams, which he said should foster a spirit of inclusivity.

Under the new rules, Adams said, mosques will not need a special permit to publicly broadcast the Islamic call to prayer, or adhan, on Fridays and at sundown during the holy month of Ramadan. Friday is the traditional Islamic holy day, and Muslims break their fast at sunset during Ramadan.

The police department’s community affairs bureau will work with mosques to communicate the new guidelines and ensure that devices used to broadcast the adhan are set to appropriate decibel levels, Adams said. Houses of worship can broadcast up to 10 decibels over the ambient sound level, the mayor’s office said.

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We hear church bells all the time, so this seems reasonable.

Both are annoying mind control techniques

Oh yes, the mind control rays that turn the anal religion antenna on to make you follow evil beliefs

In the Middle Ages, bells were thought to have supernatural powers. During the 7th century it is said that the Bishop of Aurelia rang the bells to warn people of an attack. When the enemy heard them, they were said to have fled in fear. The people credited the bells with having saved them. In a world with little man-made noise, the sound of bells was not only majestic, but could be deeply fearful

Where does fear occur?

What does this prove? Going from "people in the middle ages believed it had powers" to "it's a mind control device to make you obey the pope and his mecha army" is a huge "logical" leap

If you don't think religion and all its trappings are mind control that's up to you I guess.

Sky daddy will be sad if you don't love him and will punish you for eternity

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/mind-in-the-machine/201810/how-religious-fundamentalism-hijacks-the-brain

The word "skydaddy" detected, the opinion of an edgy Reddit atheist rejected

Glad church bells were the top comment... I grew up across the street from a church and I cannot say this loud enough FUCK CHURCH BELLS!! Ban them both, if you need to be called to pray or told what time it is buy a smartphone and set a reminder.

I lived next door to a church for a while, it was a fucking nightmare.

Both should be banned.

See I live in a wee village and despite my non- religiousness, the church bells are absolutely lovely.

I'd like to know if Muslims find the call to prayer a nice sound

I'm under the impression it's them shouting in a megaphone.

Are they using bells then?

I’d be annoyed if I lived near a Christian church that had a megaphone telling people to come pray, but bells at least seem less intrusive.

Less intrusive? They're ridiculously loud.

Do you know what's not loud? Configuring alarms in your phone. Wonder if these people have thought about it.

Fine with me. I'd be happy if both church bells and calls to prayer weren't allowed.

Maybe just personal preference for me then, but I find it’s easier to ignore as it registers as background noise.

Someone blasting music or a speech would absolutely drive me up the wall though.

I'm wondering if you grew up hearing them and that's why. You're far more likely to tune out an intrusive noise that you're very used to.

That's the argument that all the "Muslims shouldn't have extra privileges" miss.

No one should have extra privileges, but we can't take away church bells because of all the Christians would cry foul, so we're stuck giving more religions the right to make excess noise everytime they ask because otherwise it's discrimination.

Caterwauling over a loudspeaker is much more disruptive and annoying than a bell and I don't care who is caterwauling or ringing the bell

But honestly, yeah, apply all noise limits to everyone in the same way. If a bell is being rung during quiet hours and it's too loud, then hit the church with a violation.

Look, you let one group be loud, you let all similar groups be loud. You don't get to choose based on who you like or who makes a sound you like. Fair is fair.

I'd rather peace and quiet thank you very much, if I can't have that, I'd rather fair rules over arbitrary ones.

It's all relative noise levels and how reasonable a noise is. Tbh I've never lived somewhere with church bells that make loud noises during night hours like the Muslims do with their call to prayer, but I guess if a church was doing that, I'd support restricting them, too.

Church bells originally existed for a purpose though and that was to strike the hour and ring alarm. Iirc the call to prayer can be used to tell time but like once or twice a day at best.

We have watches now.

Correct, I'm just saying that's why bells are still allowed to ring without regards to sound ordinance.

You can't set a watch by prayer times unless you have a prayer time table for your locality. Since the start and end times for prayers are related to the solar diurnal motion, they vary throughout the year and depend on the local latitude and longitude when expressed in local time.

God: it's 4:34:43 AM EST and oh whoops you didn't get your prayer rug out on time. That one's going straight to hell. Crosses name out on clipboard

Correct, though if your familiar with the area it's a pretty good way to find out what time it is. Bells just do it better.

I find Jehovas Witnesses and Mormons more annoying than an Adhan ever would be

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