“Because of international terrorism, people still associate ‘Allāhu akbar’ with violence or misery.”
Indeed. Even today. And those people are often Muslims themselves.
But will that tolerance be reciprocated once Sharia-adherent Muslims are in charge in Amsterdam? Islamic law forbids churches to ring bells. Imagine the embarrassment of Amsterdam officials when their church bells are taken away and some remember that those bells were used to justify the broadcasting of the call to prayer.
“Such non-Muslim subjects [of the Islamic state] are obliged to comply with Islamic rules that pertain to the safety and indemnity of life, reputation, and property. In addition, they…are forbidden to openly display wine or pork, (A: to ring church bells or display crosses,) recite the Torah or Evangel aloud, or make public display of their funerals and feastdays…” — ‘Umdat al-Salik o11.5
Also, church bells and the call to prayer are not equivalent. Broadcasting the Muslim call to prayer over loudspeakers would be more like reciting the Lord’s Prayer, along with a call to accept Christianity, over loudspeakers five times a day.
“Amsterdam mosque to boost call to prayer with loudspeakers,” by Janene Pieters, NL Times, October 8, 2019:
The Blauwe Moskee in Amsterdam Nieuw-West wants to boost it’s [sic] weekly call to prayer – the Adhan – through loudspeakers. A few dozen mosques in the Netherlands already do so, but the Blauwe Moskee will be the first in Amsterdam. The mosque’s board is organizing a neighborhood meeting on Sunday afternoon to inform local residents about their intentions, imam Yassin Elforkani said to Het Parool.
According to Elforkani, the louder call to prayer is partly a response to the social debate about the visibility of Islam in the streets, which flared up again this summer after the introduction of the burka ban. By making Islam that bit more visible in the public space, Amsterdam residents will get more used to the religion as something normal and unrest will disappear, he believes.
“We do not want to provoke with this, but try to normalize Islamic traditions”, the imam said to Parool. “Because of international terrorism, people still associate ‘Allāhu akbar’ with violence or misery, while many visitors to our mosque experience it as something meditative. The Adhan can contribute to the fact that Islam is finally seen as something normal in the Netherlands.”
Just like Christian churches are allowed to ring their bells, mosques are also allowed to make a boosted call to prayer at certain moments. Municipalities can set rules on duration and volume, but cannot prohibit it.
According to Parool, it does seem like Amsterdam is trying to discourage mosques from using loudspeakers for their Adhan. In Amsterdam Noord, where the Boven IJ mosque will be erected, the ground lease arrangement contains a ban on a reinforced public call to prayer, for example.
Imam Elforkani of the Blauwe Moskee on Henri Dunanstraat expects that the mosque’s intention to use loudspeakers will cause a discussion, but not much problems. “Amsterdam is a tolerant city, right?” he said to Parool
mortimer says
All Muslims can get an APP on their cell phone so they can have the call to prayer everywhere. No loudspeaker is required. MOHAMMED DIDN’T HAVE LOUD SPEAKERS.
Ole Pederson says
Exactly!
Which shows, the loud call to prayer is not meant to call to prayer, but to show another place where now muslims rule.
FYI says
“muhammed didn’t have loudspeakers”
No ,but in fairness,muhammed did have a WINGED FLYING HORSE WITH A WOMAN’S FACE AND A PEACOCK TAIL which shows you how advanced islamic Aeronautical Engineering was in muhammed’s time and all thanks to the astonishing scientific wonders which are to be found in the koran.
Karen says
I am Laughing Out Loud ?. Apologies, but as I read today’s reports of Islam, I find myself despondent at times. I hate Islam for all it’s twisted ideology. I hate to watch the governments in the Western world giving in to this insidious ideology instead of protecting their citizens or subjects or whatever. Then I read your post, and you made my day.
Westman says
No, he didn’t. This is an outright attempt to, “get in your face”, and never let you forget that they have arrived.
Elforkani: “..Islam is finally seen as something normal in the Netherlands.” Sure it is, that’s why Geert Wilders is constantly persecuted and the citizens are afraid to speak up and get the same treatment.
No Muzzies Here says
The loud call, amplified and broadcast over speakers effectively declares an area under Sharia control. It blasts out the thought that non-Muslims are not welcome here, and that their comfort and convenience do not matter.
Just another step enabling Holland’s new overlords to repress any objection to their presence.
Lotus says
+1
Mark Berlinger says
CNN has assured their dwindling audience that Allahu Akbar is “a celebration of life.”
David Wood explains: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhdNG4tjOUs
No Muzzies Here says
How many millions of people heard the wonderful, meditative, peaceful, comforting cry of “allahu akhbar” before they were blown to bits by a faithful believer?
Jocelyn says
Oh, Lord help us. So, perhaps we should broadcast the Lord’s Prayer. Or maybe we can go back to praying the hours and having churches announce it. Come on, we once prayed many times a day in community. We need more Jesus, not less.
John Hawk says
Indeed. And Seig Heil is a Gregorian chant.
Jocelyn says
Oh, boy. That was funny. 🙂
mortimer says
It is an egregious lie from Islamic apologists to claim that “Allahu akbar” is a common Muslim prayer that has also been co-opted by religious extremists.
No, “Allahu akbar” is the WAR CRY OF MOHAMMED and his Companions. It is not ‘co-opted’, but normative Islam.
In June 628, Muhammad led a Muslim army against the Jewish community of Khaybar. Muhammad told his warriors, “You will not go out with me unless you desire jihad. As for plunder, there will be none.” The battle cry of the Muslims was “O victorious one, slay, slay!” As the Muslims attacked, Muhammad called out, “Allahu akbar! Khaybar is destroyed.”
………………………………
Al-Uzza (Arabic: al-Uzza was one of the three chief goddesses of Arabian religion in pre-Islamic times and was worshiped by the pre-Islamic Arabs along with Allat and Manat. A stone cube Ta’if (near Mecca) was held sacred as part of her cult. She is mentioned in the Qur’an Sura 53:19 as being one of the goddesses that people worshiped.
Al-Uzza, like Hubal, was called upon for protection by the pre-Islamic Quraysh.
“In 624 at the ‘battle called Uhud’, the war cry of the Qurayshites was, “O people of Uzza, people of Hubal!” Al-‘Uzzá also later appears in Ibn Ishaq’s account of the alleged Satanic Verses.
The temple dedicated to al-Uzza and the statue itself was destroyed by Khalid ibn al Walid in Nakhla in 630 AD.
abad says
I tend to associate Allahu Akhbar with a Moslem suicide belt.
Islam is the only religion that ever existed to bestow a suicide belt unto every believer.
They even have infant-sized suicide belts.
Common knowledge that Islam has never, not now, never will prohibit the committing of suicide, and any Moslem that says otherwise is a LIAR.
m says
It’s a war cry of a supremacist army. It means ‘Our strength is greater than yours’. The implication is ‘give up now, resistance is useless.’
David says
abad, you have got it wrong. They do not commit suicide. They become Martyrs. They die in battle, against the infidel. Actual suicide is Haram, as far as I know. We call them suicide bombers, but muslims don’t.
Angemon says
Starting with the muslims who shout “allahu akbar” when committing violence…
gravenimage says
“People still associate ‘Allahu akbar’ with violence, while many visitors to our mosque experience it as meditative”
……………………
Does Imam Yassin Elforkani mean like this good Muslim, in another story from just today, in neighboring Belgium?
“Belgium: Muslim screaming “Allahu akbar” threatens passerby with a knife”
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2019/10/belgium-muslim-screaming-allahu-akbar-threatens-passerby-with-a-knife
Lotus says
I find it soothing when some knife-wielding maniac starts shouting that in the street. /sarc
gravenimage says
Gee, so do I, Lotus! /sarc
gravenimage says
Here’s more on Imam Yassin Elforkani plan to impose the hideous Islamic call to prayer on the Dutch:
“Amsterdam mosque wants to broadcast the call to prayer to normalise Islam
https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2019/10/amsterdam-mosque-wants-to-broadcast-the-call-to-prayer-to-normalise-islam/
As if hearing the supremacist Muslim caterwauling “normalizes” Islam–what he means is that the ‘filthy Infidels’ need to be forced to consider this normal.
Save Europe says
I am a Limey, who was living in the Netherlands, when Kuwait was found to be funding a Salafi and Wahhabi ideology in this very Blue Mosque, only a few years ago !!!
gravenimage says
Thanks for that information, Save Europe–it does not surprise. This Mosque should have been shut down.
Save Europe says
Hi G –
Here is some further reading –
https://www.investigativeproject.org/4160/kuwait-funding-muslim-brotherhood-growth-in
gravenimage says
Thank you, Save Europe.
Giacomo Latta says
I am not really a Christian scholar but perhaps it is a Christian tradition to take a tank and blow these minarets and all occupants out of the sky whenever they make noise.
underbed cat says
Agree it should have been shut down….just for teaching from the allah akbar book, in otherwords teaching or repeating the organizing principles of Jihad that is never meant to be known by non muslims, until they khan or con a conversion.