No crescent permitted in the West?

Submitted by Archimedes2 (Canada), Mar 31, 2008 at 17:24

Houssam says: "regarding the issue that the church in Qatar doesn't have a cross or bells. Well, maybe it would help to know that most mosques I have seen in the west are not allowed to have crescents nor spea kers to broadcast the call to prayer. How about that for reciprocity? I welcome any comment or clarification."

Remarkable claim, Houssam. Please give a single instance of a mosque in the West not permitted to install a crescent. Where is your data sampled from? I've lived all my life in the west, and, every mosque I've ever encountered has one. I've never heard of such a prohibition. Please point to an independent news source that will verify your claim; I'll believe it when I see it!

As for speakers to broadcast the call to prayer, this is possible, but not for purposes of suppressing the religion -- it has to do with keeping the peace. If neighbors can make the case that loud religious calls are intrusive, disruptive or alter the character of a neighborhood in a negative way, then such things might be processed on a case-by-case basis with public consultation in which EVERYONE has their say. If you know of an instance in which there is some law against broadcasting a call to prayer on the basis of religion I'd like to see it.

Sorry to be so abrupt -- I don't mean to be rude, but I'm rather sick and tired of "equivalence" arguments from muslims who just make things up, or spin otherwise benign actions of westerners to feed the fires of a victim mentality.

Until I see some concrete evidence of this bizarre claim I will presume that you are merely "pushing the buttons" of the natural western sympathy toward human rights, hoping something will stick. The victim button has been overpushed of late and we are less inclined these days to react like a Pavlovian dog every time someone cries "victim!".

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