Artificial amplification is a relatively recent invention. For 1,300 years of Islam, the muezzin sounded the call to prayer from the minaret with his unaided voice only. These loudspeakers are a declaration of supremacy, a declaration of who is aspiring to be China’s new masters.
“China removes loudspeakers from hundreds of mosques in Muslim-majority region to stop calls to prayer as anti-religion sentiment rises,” by Sophie Williams, Mailonline, August 24, 2017:
A Chinese county has removed loudspeakers from over 300 mosques after getting noise complaints from neighbours about the call to prayer.
Hualong Hui Autonomous County in China’s Qinghai province has removed over one thousand loudspeakers over three days.
The removal of the call to prayer has angered muslims in the area who have branded the locals as intolerant. It comes as anti-muslim sentiment rises in China and the Chinese government cracks down on people practicing the Islamic faith.
According to a report by state mouthpiece Global Times on August 21, the loudspeakers were removed due to noise complaints.
Environmental protection inspectors allegedly received complaints about noise pollution from local mosques.
Residents close to the places of worship have complained that Islamic calls to prayer wake them up early in the morning and they claim in some cases have aggravated heart conditions of some patients.
Locals were said to have put their support for the new move in posts online encouraging other governments to do the same….
Jayell says
Well, they certainly are trying it on big-time now. Do they even have this sort of abortion in their own countries? Oh, sorry, I clearly forgot, The UK is their country now – at least, as far as they seem to be concerned.
Keith says
Since when has the UK been part of China?
Although I have seen somewhere that in Birmingham UK there are proposals to put speakers on a mosque that can be heard 15 miles away.
I am certainly glad that I live over 15 miles away from Birmingham and will be keeping a close eye on my local planning department requests in case a mosque in my area wants to do the same thing.
gravenimage says
Yes, Keith–I believe Jayell was referring to the situation in Birmingham.
My mother was born there–long before the Islamization of that great city.
John A. Marre says
There is something good about Communist dictatorships. They don’t have to bow down to any segment of the population, and they can do what is right for the country.
mortimer says
John, freedom is worth fighting and dying for. Never forget the sacrifices that THEY made for us.
gravenimage says
John, China has actually engaged in a lot of appeasement of Islam, including exempting Muslims from the “One Child Policy”, and allowing them to carry knives in Western China.
epistemology says
Not quite so. The Chinese banned full veils, overlong beards and giving your children names inciting to violence such as “Jihad” for example. China is a dictatorship, but its people are civilized unlike Muslims. The Chinese don’t want the Islamic way of life and they tell the Muslims to adapt. I wish we Westerners were as consistent as the Chinese are.
Chinese people who live in Western countries want the same things as we do, they want to live a good life and to make money, nothing wrong about that. Muslims come here and tell us we all have to obey their bloody sharia, man made law isn’t any good. We should ban sharia all over the civilized world.
gravenimage says
Yes–these are good thing, epistemology.
And much as I hate Communism, I do *not* want to see Chinese fall victim to Jihad.
But allowing Muslims to breed where their own people were forbidden to do so, and allowing Muslims to carry weapons has *appeased* Jihad-minded Muslims–and helped lead to terrible stories like this one:
“China: Muslim murders eight in knife attack in Xinjiang”
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2017/02/china-muslim-murders-eight-in-knife-attack-in-xinjiang
These inconsistencies on Jihad does not help, any more than similar inconsistencies in the West helps us.
Jenny H says
I believe China exempted all ethnic (racial) minorities from the one child policy. The exemption wouldn’t have been because of their religion. If a muslim couple was Han Chinese, and not part of a racial minority, the one child policy would have applied to them also.
gravenimage says
The basic upshot of this policy was that Muslims were able to breed, where ethnic Infidel Chinese often were not able to have more than one child. Whatever the justification for this policy, this was the effect on the ground.
tests says
You mean what they FEEL is right for the population, not what actually IS right.
tests says
Also, communism is practically a substitute ‘religion’ which wants to suppress all other religions (not just Islam, it includes Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism), if you know what I mean, so it’s like replacing shit with crap.
If it was a loudspeaker belonging to a Christian church, they would remove it just like they did with the mosque.
—
This recent case of Chinese govt officials demolishing a Christian church and beating the priests and the laypersons who were trying to defend the church from demolition
http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2017/09/04/chinese-christians-beaten-while-defending-church-property-from-demolition/
gravenimage says
One need not have any liking for the brutality of Communism–God knows I don’t–to consider it a good thing that Islam is not being fully imposed there.
And your attempt at false equivalence is just that–banning supremascist loudspeakers is *not* the same as beating priests.
Alarmed Pig Farmer says
Christianity stands as a metaphor for all organized religions.
Focus on the word metaphor here. It assumes that Christianity is no longer a real religion in England, which certainly could be argued, and also implies that the Islam “religion” is a metaphor too. One could wish for that, but do so privately. Taking a six inch knife blade through the skin can cause personal injury, and not just to your feelings about organized religion.
Also, what is an unorganized religion?
Logically-speaking says
Agreed 100 %. These speakers cause noise pollution everyday from as early as 5.30 a.m. which break up the people ‘s good sleep.
Only China has the gut to do this. EU and USA are pussy cats.
mortimer says
THE AZAN CALL TO PRAYER IS OBSOLETE THANKS TO ANDROID and iTunes
http://appcrawlr.com/android-apps/best-apps-call-to-prayer
– Muslim Pro: Prayer Times Quran
The most popular Muslim app. Recognized by more than 30 million Muslims around the world as the most accurate prayer time
– myAzan Free
This application gives you the 5 islamic daily prayer times with automatic prayers notifications. You can add a location using gps,
– Muslim Prayer Rug | سجادة صلاة
Get the direction to Mecca (Qiblah) based on your current position, as well as prayer times (Salat).
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/muslim-pro-prayer-times-azan-quran-qibla/id388389451?mt=8
– myAzan Free
This application gives you the 5 islamic daily prayer times with automatic prayers notifications. You can add a location using gps,
– Muslim Prayer Rug | سجادة صلاة
Get the direction to Mecca (Qiblah) based on your current position, as well as prayer times (Salat).
mortimer says
Early Muslim rulers discovered that most Arabs were only pretending to be Muslims so they instituted compulsory prayer/indoctrination/propaganda five times daily to enable the complete brainwashing of their obedient servants.
The Koran was written as a troop motivator and five prayer and indoctrination sessions keep the troops mentally prepared to die for Allah… I mean for the caliph.
JawsV says
I’ve read that Muhammed started the 5 times a day deal so he could keep an eye on his Muslims. He feared them leaving Islam or joining forces with Mecca against Muhammed in Medina.
So, has nothing to do with piety. Has everything to do with Muhammed’s insecurity about his Muslims.
If a Muslim missed prayers and prostration he’d burn down their houses. From the Hadith:
“The Prophet said, “Burn all those who had not left their houses for the prayer, burning them alive inside their homes” (Bukhari 1.11.626).
Forced prayers is still the Islamic way. Anything forced is fraudulent.
maghan says
Think of the lost hours monthly for devotees of Islam praying 5 times a day to some unseen spirit. The ablution ritual takes at least 10 minutes then the actual prayer ritual. Conservatively, 150 lost minutes daily. Do the math for the weekly and monthly and annual time-wasting exercise.
gravenimage says
I wish the worst thing Muslims were doing is wasting large amounts of time. Unfortunately, they are also being taught to conquer and murder us.
JawsV says
You mean the non-existent deity Allah. Muhammed is Allah. He made up Islam.
Whenever Muhammed changed his mind, Allah also changed his mind.
All the lost time praying to a non-existent deity resulted in the stagnation of Arab culture. They stopped inventing and discovering a thousand years ago.
Westman says
All true. When your entire life is about Allah and his religion there isn’t time to imagine and invent. Worse yet, Bida, inventive free thought, was discouraged. Islam robbed Muslims of their future progress.
Now they use infidel conveniences and technology and still must immigrate to free societies for any real improvement in their lives. One would think they would realize that Islam only made progress by conquest, essentially stealing, and it is a massive failure. Wealth from the ground still props it up in some localities, but overall it is an obvious failure.
JawsV says
“Islam only made progress by conquest.”
Yes. Booty from the Infidels is huge in Islam. That’s why the Koran’s Sura 8 is called: “The Spoils of War.”
Anne Smith says
We were on a bus in Greece which stopped in the middle of heavy traffic and the driver got out, produced his prayer mat and began praying on the pavement while we all had to wait to be driven back to our destination.
Utter stupidity and nonsense. Or perhaps it was his way of saying “Sod the lot of you”.
gravenimage says
Anne, this has also happened with Muslim bus drivers in Britain–and probably elsewhere in Europe, as well. More Muslim supremacy.
gravenimage says
And even worse, Westman, Muslims want to slaughter anyone who *isn’t* hamstringed by their vile creed.
Jack Diamond says
Noise pollution, exactly. I can imagine it giving heart attacks. It is toxic poison, nothing phobic in that remark. Obama may have thought it beautiful, growing up, this Horst Wessel Lied of the Muslims.
From the standpoint of 2017 it is “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore” …should be for the entire infidel (sane) world. Even to sane Communists.
JawsV says
It’s about time. No one should have to be a captive audience to the Mohammedans’ calls to Satan.
Good on China! Bravo!
Papa Whiskey says
Now let’s see us do the same thing in Hamtramck, where amplified muezzin have been blaring since 2004:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-3406132/Hamtramck-12-mosque-town-heart-America.html
gravenimage says
Yes–this is happening more and more in the West. Madness.
abad says
Um, Islam really does not belong in China. Islam can never be Chinese. Period.
Good on China for their measures on the evil cult of Islam.
Bill McKenzie says
Go China! I could not imagine having to live anywhere and being forced to listen to that garbage over a loudspeaker.
gary says
Intolerant?!
Once again muslims play the victim. Like they’re going to forget “Call to pray” if they don’t hear it blaring through town.
Get real.
SoCalMike says
It’s really to bad we can punish or horsewhip the Western writers who are conditioned like Pavlov’s dog to lick the butts of jihadis and supremacists with their slant and coverage.
gravenimage says
China removes loudspeakers from hundreds of mosques in Muslim-majority region
………………..
Here’s this story, from Israel:
“Israel to mute mosques’ call to prayer over loudspeakers to ‘help locals who have been losing sleep'”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4293742/Israel-moves-mute-mosques-call-prayer-loudspeakers.html
Manny says
Well that’s good. Who the heck wants to hear Arabic blasted across town? Arabic is one of the ugliest languages around. It makes my skin crawl.
Chand says
I think the desert sand gets stuck in the throat, pharynx, nostrils and larynx and they have to constantly cough it out and so they seem to be grunting while speaking.
The awful truth says
This is a huge problem in Sri Lanka that’s not a Muslim country (yet). There are now mosques in Kandy that blast out their same tune? Two or three times over slightly out of sync. Always loud mail voices or the occasional softer male teenager. Loudspeakers at 8pm – it shatters the silence and disturbs conversations. But authorities too cowed due to “democratic” implications.
The awful truth says
Make these horrible sounds go away. They may as well say, Allah crushes you underfoot.
davej says
What would a Supremacist ideology do – broadcast high volume propaganda at maximum volume to all residents at 5:30AM.
Shoot out the speakers. Arrest the noise polluters. Make it clear that they are NOT IN CHARGE.
common sense says
Oh, so Asians are racist? Good Lord it’s eveyone against Islam now….errr the other way around really.
DWS IT aide’s (Aswan Bros) wife to come back to the US and face charges of fraud. Report says she’ll most likely get immunity.
What’s to come Americans are not going to like. It’s ugly and it’s coming.
Baucent says
What a good idea. Hopefully many other countries will follow the example. I can sympathize with non-muslim residents living near a mosque. I recall some years ago traveling in Indonesia and being woken up at some ungodly hour (or unallahly hour) by the wailing miscreant at the nearby mosque. And of course in Indonesia and other muslim majority countries, there is a mosque on every street corner so you can’t avoid the racket.
underbed cat says
i like this news that China, makes rules for it’s own country and if the converts of Islam need prayer times five times a day, that is proceeded by a call to prayer, it will have to be quietly dignified with out a loud speaker. It must have been a shock to the mosques.
I have a feeling they won’t care about this and might resist…in China….good luck with that, the Chinese are just as tough.
underbed cat says
I like this news that China makes rules for it’s own country and if the converts of Islam need prayer times five times a day, that is proceeded by a call to prayer, it will have to be quietly dignified with out a loud speaker. It must have been a shock to the mosques.
I have a feeling they won’t care about this and might resist…in China….good luck with that, the Chinese are just as tough.
Peacemaker says
It is pretty obvious that Islamic dictatorship can only be suppressed by another dictatorship. Decades ago , the biggest Muslim country, Indonesia’s dictator Suharto had prevented his people from Islamic radicalization by using iron fist control over Muslim and Islam. However, short after Suharto has overthrown by the people, the Islamic radicalization has returned. Today the China is repeating Suharto foot steps that is trying to suppressed the Muslim community by forces. Can China do the same thing over and over again and expecting different results ? Good Luck with China and God save you all.
gravenimage says
Peacemaker wrote:
It is pretty obvious that Islamic dictatorship can only be suppressed by another dictatorship.
……………………………….
This is not the case. We have successfully defended against Islam many times before. Vienna did not have to become a dictatorship to turn back the Muslim invaders; the United States did not have to become a dictatorship in order to defeat the Muslim Barbary Pirates who were capturing or ships and enslaving our crews.
More:
Decades ago , the biggest Muslim country, Indonesia’s dictator Suharto had prevented his people from Islamic radicalization by using iron fist control over Muslim and Islam.
……………………………….
Peacemaker, i’m afraid your idea that Suharto was opposed to Islam is incorrect. It was under his aegis that ethnic Chinese–few of whom were Muslim–were heavily oppressed. It is also during his tenure that the genocide of the mostly Christian East Timorese occurred in the 1970s.
He occasionally fought Jihadists, but only when they represented a direct threat to his power–he never had any ideological opposition to Jihad.
He also became steadily more Islamic himself in the 1990s, including courting Islamists and going on the Hadj.
Peacemaker says
During Suharto time, Indonesia friendly neighborhood Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Mahathir was a hero among those Muslim community (Sunni), even though Malaysia only have less than 65% Muslim of a total population. Why ? Because Mahathir was more radical than Suharto.
Indeed, Chinese in Indonesia has been oppressed for decades, but it is not because of their religion. It is because of political needs and the influence of PRC communist (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suharto), especially during president Mao era. Today, many of the Indonesian Chinese are living in China southern provinces, such as GuangZhou, HaiNan, Fujian etc. The Indonesian Chinese community are the living evidence of communist political struggle in Indonesia. Similarly, East Timor genocide was not driven by Islamic teaching. (history of east timor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Timor)
In fact, under the ruling of Suharto, Muslim in Indonesia could convert to other religion without having apostate punishment. Whereas in Malaysia apostasy is a crime, offender will be prosecuted under Sharia Law in Sharia Court. The Sharia Court in Malaysia has been running for more than 30 years before Mahathir come into power and increased Sharia Court power.
Many years ago, there were a lot scholars praising Indonesia, Brunei, Turkey because of the religion tolerance. Nowadays, Brunei and Turkey have become Islamic state which have little tolerance to infidel, Indonesia has become more and more radical (Ahok https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/09/jakarta-governor-ahok-found-guilty-of-blasphemy-jailed-for-two-years).
I didn’t mean that Suharto was opposed Jihad, because we all know (unless you don’t know) that all Muslim have to agree to Jihad due to Quran and Mohammad teaching. Nevertheless, it is a fact that Suharto had never turned Indonesia into Islamic State and we put it in another way, Suharto has successfully prevented Indonesia Muslim from radicalization.
gravenimage says
Peacemaker wrote:
During Suharto time, Indonesia friendly neighborhood Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Mahathir was a hero among those Muslim community (Sunni), even though Malaysia only have less than 65% Muslim of a total population. Why ? Because Mahathir was more radical than Suharto.
…………………………….
This may be true–and others including Iran’s Mullahs were also very “radical”–that does not, I’m afraid, mean that the murderous Suharto was a “moderate”.
More:
Indeed, Chinese in Indonesia has been oppressed for decades, but it is not because of their religion. It is because of political needs and the influence of PRC communist (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suharto), especially during president Mao era.
…………………………….
Most Chinese in Indonesia are business people and shop owners–*not* Communists. They are oppressed not because they are assumed to be Communists, but because almost all of them are Infidels.
More:
Today, many of the Indonesian Chinese are living in China southern provinces, such as GuangZhou, HaiNan, Fujian etc. The Indonesian Chinese community are the living evidence of communist political struggle in Indonesia.
…………………………….
Actually, most Communists in Indonesia are and have been non-Chinese. Again, the claim that most Chinese–among the most capitalist people in Indonesia as a group–should be oppressed because they are all secretly Communist is ludicrous.
More:
Similarly, East Timor genocide was not driven by Islamic teaching. (history of east timor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Timor)
…………………………….
Actually, if you were honest, you would acknowledge that Wikipedia confirms that over 98% of East Timorese are Christian–more non-Muslims.
In the 1970s there was an out and out attempt at genocide of non-Muslims there by Muslim Indonesian authorities.
The idea that systematic oppression of and violence against Infidels has nothing to do with Islam strains credulity, to put it mildly.
More:
In fact, under the ruling of Suharto, Muslim in Indonesia could convert to other religion without having apostate punishment. Whereas in Malaysia apostasy is a crime, offender will be prosecuted under Sharia Law in Sharia Court. The Sharia Court in Malaysia has been running for more than 30 years before Mahathir come into power and increased Sharia Court power.
…………………………….
Uh…right. There’s been a formal blasphemy law in Indonesia since 1965, that was in force right through the Suharto era. Suharto may have enforced them more seldom than his predecessor and follower, but this does not make him terribly “moderate” in this regard. These laws were never removed from the books, and there were never official safeguards for apostates.
More:
Many years ago, there were a lot scholars praising Indonesia, Brunei, Turkey because of the religion tolerance. Nowadays, Brunei and Turkey have become Islamic state which have little tolerance to infidel, Indonesia has become more and more radical…
…………………………….
There is no doubt that with the waning influence of the West in Dar-al-Islam that much of the Muslim world has become even more murderously devout–something I have noted many times myself.
That does not mean that there was ever a “golden age” of Islamic tolerance. In any case, none of this meant that Islam itself was more moderate–just less consistently enforced.
More:
I didn’t mean that Suharto was opposed Jihad, because we all know (unless you don’t know) that all Muslim have to agree to Jihad due to Quran and Mohammad teaching.
…………………………….
I know this *all too well*.
More:
Nevertheless, it is a fact that Suharto had never turned Indonesia into Islamic State and we put it in another way, Suharto has successfully prevented Indonesia Muslim from radicalization.
…………………………….
Yeah–who cares about all those murdered Chinese and Christians?
If this is what we have to be nostalgic for, it just serves to point out how barbarous any society under Islam is.
Anne Smith says
It’s a pity that the BBC doesn’t have your clear sighted view of the situation in Mynamar/Burma. At the moment the BBC is doing all it can to whip up hatred against Ang San Sui Ky for her Government’s alleged “brutality” towards the poor Rohingya Muslims.
As far as the BBC is concerned the Rohingya Muslims are a poor oppressed minority who have been disgracefully treated by the Burmese over the years. They seem to know absolutely nothing about the incursion of Muslims into Burma and their attempts to install an Islamic dictatorship.
Guy Forester says
How about removing the place where all the noise was coming from in the first place? Or the guy making all the noise.? 🙂
Matthieu Baudin says
“… A Chinese county has removed loudspeakers from over 300 mosques after getting noise complaints from neighbours about the call to prayer…”
This could set a trend. Starting in Indo-China and moving westwards, the amplification units of minarets could be unplugged and the unnecessary harassment of citizens could draw to an end.
c gamble says
they wont walk over china the way they do in the west esp in the uk.
FYI says
Apparently once upon a time muslims prayed towards Jerusalem.
But When the Jews(correctly) would not accept muhammed as a prophet(he wasn’t)
mo decided that muslims should pray towards mecca instead.
And that call to “prayer”?
To whom do muslims pray?
It is not to the Judeo-Christian or Biblical God!
It is to allah who k9:30 “curses the Jews and the Christians”…
Mary ann Blay says
Hello !!! The people of this country are being intolerant? Why are the Muslims not being considerate by not waking people up and disturbing their peace with all the racket. I know, they don’t know when to pray unless they are told by noise. Good for China.
Valkyrie Ziege says
; Thank You, China, for that drop of sanity. Into every rain, a little life must fall. Now it’s time for the entire world to follow their intelligent example, plus there are “apps” for calling to prayer, and prayer should be a private, personal situation.
Charles says
Normally I would never side with the “Commies” but…….
Loud soeakers?
Pull that plug
Richard Courtemanche says
China is showing leadership in getting rid of evil.
LeftisruiningCanada says
Matthew 6:5-6
And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
The False Prophet (peanut butter upon him) commanded them everything opposite to Christ.
It’s utterly vital to keep the call to prayer from our cities and homes. The azan is nothing but a domination tactic. And it’s full of lies.
Chand says
“The False Prophet (peanut butter upon him)……………….”
Ha! Ha! Good one, LeftisruiningCanada.
I’m for this loudspeaker ban. Noise pollution. Should be banned everywhere. But China is equally strict with propaganda from all religions, to be fair. Not that there is a loudspeaker issue with Churches or Buddhist temples.
LeftisruiningCanada says
Yeah, that’s what makes chinas actions a little hard to agree with completely. While it’s good to shut the minarets down, if we grant the State power to crack down on one religious group they will undoubtedly do the same to other groups too. It probably only works in a country with a majority of one religion. In a secular country, all religious freedom is equally at risk.
commonsense says
I would argue that the use of loudspeakers for the Azzan is blatantly un-Islamic, as their use represents bid’a, or innovation, which Islam forbids. Similarly, the Android and i-tunes apps described by commenter Mortimer, above, are also un-Islamic. The hypocrisy of Muslims knows no bounds – if something unknown in Muhammed’s time advances Islam, then the prohibition of innovation is conveniently disregarded. And loudspeakers, of course, were invented by infidels.
gravenimage says
In reality, commonsense, Muslims tend to be fine with Bid’a if it furthers the cause of Islam.
They may murder falafel vendors for selling a snack unfamiliar to the “Prophet”, but they are good with AK-47s, IEDs, and suicide bombs.
SweetOlBob says
Good one, China ! I can only imagine the sound on ears that are used to your language, hearing the wailing. yodeling, irritating, intrusive sound of some filthy muslim who slammed his “Ahem” in the Screen Door.
About the same irritation factor as that sound heard by ears used to English, I would imagine !