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Police confiscate speakers from Jaffa mosque
Meirav Shlomo-Melamed
Published: 03.01.12, 18:58
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1. small yet big
alexi   (01.03.12)
This is a small yet big deal. Muezzin prayers broadcasts that are drivingt israeli jews to madness. word gets out to liebrman and the noise is reduced. If you went to Livni, or olmert or peres, the loud broadcasts would still be happening because th ey do not have and never will have the strength to look the arab in the eye and say no more-finished. No, livni who tel aviv ad makers hoped could be the heroine, turns out to be another olmert lawyer copy who is rather unproductive and lacks leadership resolve. The press has been merciless with leiberman yet he is far superior to the pacifists like liel, beilin, peres, and ben ami. He gives resolve to bibi who tends to falter under pressure and listen to barak whose ideas are disconnected from reality. Weinstein had better not indict liberman unless he is sure because it cannot afford to lose such a combative patriot. Most of israeli leadership are gutless and cowering jews.
2. I am Against the Muezzins
Abdel Karim Salim ,   Jerusalem   (01.03.12)
I was born and raised a moslem , but these days I am totally against the muezzin's call for prayer five times a day simply because it is inconsiderate and insensitive to the non-moslem neighbors , and because it is much disturbing . It is an ugly form of noise pollution .
3. this is how the muezzin problem should be dealt with
zionist forever   (01.03.12)
Specific legislation the Muslims will argue is some attempt to stop Muslims praying and is anti freedom of religion and they will contest it in the courts and probably in the UN if they have to call it a human rights issue. If local municipalities were able to treat it as an issue of public nuisance then they could force them mosques not to use speakers of the meuzzin and if they refuse to comply the police can be sent to take the speakers just same as they can take a stereo if somebody is playing loud music night after night waking all the neighbors. Its a simple matter of noise pollution and I hope the courage showed by the police here will be repeated up and down the country to stop the Muslims disturbing the peace.
4. ??"soothing call to prayer"
david ,   new york   (01.03.12)
hearing allah akbar 4:30 in the morning is hardly "soothing". they need to pass that law!
5. Not racism - it's a worldwide problem
Brian Cohen ,   Judean Peoples Front   (01.03.12)
Kinda like guys who buy muscle cars because they have a, well, you know, self-perception problem with the size of their, um, well, you know. Mosques the world over have a contest for who can install the biggest, loudest, loudspeakers that will be heard not just in the next town or village, but in the next city or country. It is indeed a noise level problem, and mosque leaders don't necessarily agree that anti-noise laws apply to them. Freedom of religion yes, but only at the legal decibel level.
6. Call to what type of prayer?
Dan ,   Florida   (01.03.12)
Jews who pray in Shul or otherwise are severely discriminated against in every Middle Eastern Muslim country where they are harassed. Why do Muslims think they are immune from the law or from consideration of their neighbors. The Middle Eastern Muslims have already started a war of religion and they have the gall to accuse the Jews of wanting to start one. If they again play their call to terror, they must be shut down.
7. Not exactly the way I would have handled it
William ,   Israel   (01.03.12)
I believe respect to the mosque should have been given by first making an official request o tone it down by authorities. But, the mosque members are not without fault here. With the spotlight on loud mosque speakers and annoying calls to prayer (which I would never call soothing by any measurement), they should have realized the sensitivity to the mixed-neighborhood and lowered the volume themselves. There is enough accusation of insensitivity to go around to all parties involved.
8. dozens of Yassam and Border Guard officers,
observer ,   Egypt   (01.03.12)
doing the dirty work of a night club bouncer?
9. if they would have asked us to play the prayers more quietly
split ,   US   (01.03.12)
Why should they, couldn't you figure it out on your own? BTW, Allah can hear you without speakers ,...
10. #1 - not just Jews
William ,   Israel   (01.03.12)
the needless loud speakers are driving many to madness, Jews, Christians, Druze, non-affiliated, even some Muslims themselves.
11. Do kids still put playing cards on their bicycles?
Raymond in DC ,   Washington, USA   (01.03.12)
When I was a kid, we'd sometimes clip playing cards to the front and/or back wheel frames of their bikes. Early one Sunday morning I went riding with those clips - it sounded like a motorcycle when I got going. One of the neighbors complained to my parents. The cards came off. The Muslims know the muezzin's call - for 13 centuries done without amplification - disturbs their non-Muslim neighbors. They don't care. Indeed, I'd say they rather enjoy ticking them off, thinking "Those infidels won't do a damn thing about it." It's time they learned we *will* do something about it. It's time we stopped tolerating the intolerant.
12. this is disgusting and against democratic principles
Ariela ,   Netanya, Israel   (01.03.12)
13. to No 12
Frank ,   Tel-Aviv   (01.03.12)
Disgusting and undemocratic? What is democratic with waking people up at 4.30 am with a howl from a minaret? How silly can one be, equating the call from a symbol of non-democracy which is a mosque, with democracy itself?
14. loudspeakers
joel ,   usa   (01.03.12)
democracy is not disturbing & hurting other people because of your stupid religion, OK?
15. No Ariela - it is totally democratic
Brian Cohen ,   Judean Peoples Front   (01.03.12)
Ariela - go read the law. You too are not allowed to stick loudspeakers on your synagogue or school or store or house and blare out sound at more than 45 decibels (I forget the exact number, but I think it'son the ministry of the environment website). Democracy says the government sets the laws and the people have to live by them - and that includes mosques with loudspeakers that are above the legal sound limit. Ariela - go read the law and then come back and post a talkback if you think the law should be changed.
16. no 12 Ariela, you are an idiot.
Avi ,   netanya   (01.03.12)
17. They woke me every morning at 4am
Brenda Cohen ,   Israel   (01.03.12)
This noise pollution is NOT soothing, it's totally ANNOYING. Maybe the Jews should blast Mordechai Ben David at the Arab villages every morning at 3AM and see how they like it. In the meantime, this government should grow a pair and raid every mosque that wakes people up so early.
18. Why not use a watch and show up on time?
Baruch ,   Boston, USA   (01.03.12)
Like Jews do. What's the need for the call. This isn't 1500. We have clocks, watches, cell phones and computers with time, etc.
19. Too much PR, product is bad.
Beary White ,   Norway   (01.03.12)
Almost funny, why do the islamic have to force themself on others by using loadspeakers? Do they not believe in the power of their upper-most, that the message is enough to make the followers coming? Or is neccessary to use force :-)
20. Moslems turn up volume on Via Dolorosa
NoBodySeemsToCare ,   Jerudalem Israel   (01.03.12)
The volume of the muezzin loudspeakers on the Via Dolorosa in the Old City have been recently doubled if not more to ear drum breaking decibles . It is also it seems a sport for Moslem residents to race their cars into crowds of Christian Pilgrims to scare them as the drivers laugh . I am a tour guide and witness this weekly it has been going on for years there needs to be a regulation for speed there and on the Mount of Olives pathway it is a national disgrace tourists are literally terrorized and now their ear drums assaulted
21. loudspeakers
Yerucham ,   Yerucham, Israel   (01.04.12)
When we lived in Chashmonaim the nearby loudspeakers at 4 am were disgusting. I have gone to pray 3 times a day for 30 + years without obnoxious loudpeakers calling me. What do they pray for if they can't be civilized.
22. So now loudspeakers are an ancient tradition?
Scott ,   USA   (01.04.12)
Perhaps Bilal used a loudspeaker the first time he climbed up the Qaaba some 1400 years ago?
23. They have alarm clocks, alarms on cell phones, ENOUGH CRAP.
Bunnie Meyer ,   Los Angeles, CA USA   (01.04.12)
24. Marking Territory with Sound
(01.04.12)
Animals mark territory with urine. Criminal gangs mark territory with graffiti. Loudspeakers disturb the peace marking the minds of those within the sonic turf with unecessary noise, and distraction. This amplification using loudspeakers is a disrespectful violation i.e. "Disturbing the Peace". It is nothing more than electronic scent marking of turf. Religious Muslims know when it is time to pray. Noise disturbances of all types should be treated the same under the law.
25. I like the song of muezzins when there is no loudspeakers
Yossef   (01.04.12)
To Abdel Karim : It's funny, you react against your too-much-religious muslim brothers the same way I react against my too-much-religious jewish brothers :-)
26. Hahaha. So disingenuous; its more "soothing" to sleep at 3am
hippocrates ,   earth   (01.04.12)
27. #2 abdel
solomon ,   bklyn   (01.04.12)
Thank you again for a different kind of post, one that should not go unnoticed.
28. The Mosque was contacted to lower the volume
Dovid ,   Modiin   (01.04.12)
29. noise in the city
taieb ,   tel aviv   (01.04.12)
its a shame.....stop before the noisy ambulances
30. Well done
Jan ,   Netherlands   (01.04.12)
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