The clergyman who runs one of Oxford’s most popular churches has attacked plans for a call to prayer for Muslims at the city’s new mosque (Ruth Gledhill writes). The Rev Charlie Cleverley, the Rector of St Aldate’s, in the centre of the city, claims that nonMuslim residents will be driven away by the thrice-daily ritual. Mr Cleverley’s criticism of the plan is at odds with the views of his bishop, the Right Rev John Pritchard, who is supporting the idea.
Leaders of the Central Mosque, which is still being built, are planning to submit an application to the city council this year for permission to play the call to prayer, or azan, through a loudspeaker. Mr Cleverley said that the plan risked “ghettoising” the city.
He added: “I feel [the azan] is unEnglish and very different from a bell. It may force people to move out and encourage Muslim families to move in. I hope and pray the imam will hear the strength of feeling gently and lovingly and change his mind.”
Comment: Froma colleague (Is there a need for a call to prayer loudspeaker notification? Do Muslims know about watches?)
2 comments:
The azan is most definitely different from a bell. I don't know too much about Protestant church bells, but in the Catholic religion the bell is typically only rung 10 minutes before Mass is to begin. It's sort of like a warning to hurry up.
Other churches ring bells on the hour.
Either way, a church bell is simply to alert some of the time.
The azan is forcing Islamic prayers upon the public. Prayers are recited.
They don't need it, either. A lot of Muslims in the US simply keep a clock with them, or have little alerts installed on the computers.
As one Muslim college student told me, they have a two hour window of opportunity to complete each scheduled prayer.
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