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You are in: Oxford > BBC Radio Oxford > Articles > The 'Bill' Board!

Bill Heine

The 'Bill' Board!

BBC Radio Oxford's 'Silver Fox' is never short of an opinion or two. Every Monday you can read all about Mr Heine's latest musings!

CALL TO PRAYER OR TO ARMS…

A religious conflict is brewing in East Oxford about broadcasting the call to prayer from loudspeakers in the minaret of the newly built Central Oxford Mosque in Manzil Way.  The local and national press are having a field day, especially their headline writers who are pulling out all the stops.  “The Screaming Minarets of Oxford” says The Independent.  The Daily Telegraph talks about “When Religions Collide Under the Dreaming Spires”.

The press are full of ‘facts’ on the debate.  The Telegraph states that Mosque members are “seeking permission to broadcast a two-minute Adhan, the traditional Muslim call to prayer, through loud speakers in the minaret three times a day."

The Independent says that people living within the area of the Mosque, “face having their lunchtimes, early afternoons and early evenings punctuated by the sound of the muezzin calling ‘hasten to prayer’.”

The Express on Sunday argues that “Indigenous Brits are indeed becoming strangers in their own country… a mosque in Oxford has applied to disturb the peace by using loudspeakers to call the faithful to prayer three times a day.  Why should ordinary British folk have to endure such ghastly electronic caterwauling?  If Muslims need reminding about times to pray, let them buy alarm clocks.”

The real question here is not about whether or not Muslims should be allowed to broadcast a two-minute call to prayer three times a day.  This is a phoney question because they have not asked for that.  Nuala Young, Chair of the East Oxford Parliament confirmed to me there is no application or resolution about a call to prayer, and any application would have to go to the Parliament. The Imam and Cannon David Partridge appeared at the Oxford City Council and ‘floated the idea that they would like one call to prayer per week on Fridays at mid-day. That was the full extent of it.’

So the question is how did the press get the facts so amplified in a completely wrong and confusing way? Why has the specific and limited comments of the Imam and the Reverend been twisted out of all recognition? Why have people been whipped up into a frenzy of shock and horror so they talk of a ‘ghetto-isation of the city a few years down the line,’ or argue ‘this is a move to torment and torture non-Muslims’?

What’s really happening here?

last updated: 06/02/2008 at 11:59
created: 04/02/2008

Have Your Say

The BBC reserves the right to edit comments submitted.

jim k
whats wrong with a weakly alarm clock?this feature exists on most mobile phones, bbc and ........

Matt
This stuff makes me so angry. English people really need to get up and start making a stand before our culture is completely wiped away because everyone is to scared of being labelled racist

Sad Old Lady
This is England. A christian country.If I wanted to be of another denomination I,d move to a country where I could follow my chosen belief and not try and inflict it on a christian country. If your faith doesn,t belong here then go where it is practised

Ismail Bolton Lancs
As a practising Muslim I don't need a reminder for the daily prayers by call from a loud speaker, I have a digital watch that is programed to remind me the times for the prayers also ninety percent of the mosques in England have a licensed transmitter that relay the call to homes with the radio receiver. I don't see a great loss in not getting permission to broadcast the call, its better to keep the neighbors happy and abandon the application if that's what the mosque is planning that would be more in line with Islamic teaching peace and harmony with the local people.

Pam C
Why not take up the practice of broadcasting the call to paryer privately into subscribers homes? I understand the Shah Jehan Mosque mosque in Woking was doing this years ago - everyone wins....Come to think of it some of our ailing churches could use this to raise funds too!

Mary.
I get the feeling English Christians are not all singing from the same Hymn Book.

Howie, expat of Oxford, now in Brighton
What would be the reaction if a Christian Church in a Muslim country wanted to play tapes of church bells, or even ring the real things? I think the answer is obvious and I need say no more.

Zurich Dave. Apology.
Sorry, I suggested in my last piece ( Words) that you might be considered as pompous. I have now read this on line and know I was wrong. The word was not pompous, it was patronizing. Hope you don`t mind me putting the record straight.

Sabrina
We are so pleased that your blog has taken off and become international. Well done Bill dot Heine !! We are so pleased that we have played a small but crucial part in this success story. Bye the way,,,we haven`t received our gratuities yet, sorry to mention it.

jeff
since when did you use the airwaves of radio oxford to promote the Joshua Files novel by M J Harris. I thought your programme was a phone in, not a sales promotion for a book.

Roger, Near Cowley Road
Statements I have seen in the press from a Mr Sardar Rana an elder and spokesman for the mosque have said that ideally they wanted to have 5 calls a day but would apply for 3 amplified calls a day and would settle for 1 amplified call on Friday if they could .So according to Mr Rana they do intend to apply for 3 calls a day at some time in the next few months when building at the Manzil Way mosque is finished in a few months time.Also reports form the IWCA on Oxford council reveal that the two petitioners suggested at the council meeting where they first broached the idea of an amplified call that they would gradually increase the volume as the area got used to it.

David. Headington- On line
It is wrong and naive to try and pigeon hole this article as religous. It is territorial, political and tribal. But, at the end of the day, people will have to live together. Get your false teeth out of this story media and be positive. Why not ?

Confused in Oxford
I don't get it... why do people move their entire lives and livlihoods to a different country and culture - and then demand that laws are changed in order to hold on to their previous ways of doing things. Whatever happened to the old saying, "When in Rome..."?

Zurich Dave
Words. You tried to trip up your wonderful, confident guest recently by suggesting she was precocious. Oblivously she wasnt because she didn`t respond by suggesting that you are pompous or strictly retro. I love the freshness and confidence of our youth.

David, East Oxford
Just one call a week and hence the threat of more calls will be enough to badly hurt the value of homes in the area. I do not see why Canon Partridge feels it is his business to try and help impose this on the people of East Oxford, especially when he has the benefit of living a long way away in a nice village in Gloucestershire

John Martel
It is about time the grossly biased pro-muslim BBC Oxford has talked about this issue.

Steve Woodjetts
(comments continued)The people of Leceister have already 'lost' the arguement. (see the yahoo message board)Many muslims are already stating openly that the plans to have shariah law in this country are well ahead of shedule. Where I lived in the West Midlands the area is very much a Muslim domminated area, and comments were made by senior figures that they were seeking to 'take over' and replace Christian churches.So basicaly the press have not got it wrong, it is the ' powers that be who have and are burying there heads in the sand because they are frightened of being labled 'racisit' or accussed of discrimination if they speak out. Islam IS being sneaked in under these guises by the more radical followers of Islam who don't want to integrate - which applies to a good 75%.

Hayden. Summertown.
I dont see a problem with our fellow citizen Muslims having their call to prayers from the unfinished Mosque in Cowley. They should stick to the historic tradition of this evocative hymn. The preacher should climb the tower and make his plea without electonic amplification four times a day. Our Church Bells are not electonically enhanced are they ?

Swiss Dave
I was disappointed when your mate ( the New Bishop of Oxford ) came out in favour of these prayer chants. He said that no area of Oxford should become no-go. That was a complete cop out from an outsider trying to play from the middle of the bat. Reading last fridays Oxford Times gave a balanced insight on the issues from an Oxford Anglican Cleric.Bill, balance, insight and courage will always serve you well.

David Partridge
OK, but the debate is a very fluid one. How about a 'live' Call to Prayer with no amplification? The minaret is high enpough to let bthe human voice carry quite far but not too far?

Barbara
Moslem people should ackknowlege that the objection to this has nothing to do with religious freedom, and has everything to do with noise pollution. For those unfamiliar with the tone, it sounds as if a man in a torture chamber is incessantly calling for help as he is growling. I can't help myself not to fall in despair, to help this man out of the misery.

Nina
This is creeping confiscation strategy, that works well on gradually taking away rights of descent people. I am entitled to contest to any language other than English to be waved around oxford spires.

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