Get that man a loudspeaker

Despite objections, the [1] Muslim prayer call will soon resound over loudspeakers all over Hamtramck, Michigan. From [2] AP, with thanks to EPG and Cathy J. Palmer:

HAMTRAMCK, Mich. — Over some residents' objections, the City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to allow a mosque to send out a call to prayer to Muslims on a loudspeaker.

The Bangladeshi al-Islah mosque asked for permission to air the Arabic call to prayer via loudspeakers five times a day, though it compromised by agreeing not to air the call before 6 a.m. or after 10 p.m.

Some Muslims say the call is the equivalent of church bells. Opponents argued that church bells have no religious significance and that allowing the Arabic call, which lasts less than two minutes, unfairly elevates Islam above other religions.