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7:56pm Thursday 20th December 2007
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PLANS to broadcast a call to prayer from Oxford's Central Mosque, in Manzil Way, would turn East Oxford into a 'Muslim ghetto', residents have claimed.
Dozens of people packed out a meeting of Oxford City Council's east area parliament on Wednesday to express their concerns over plans for a two-minute long call to prayer to be issued from loudspeakers in the mosque's minaret three times a day.
Dr Mark Huckster, who lives in Stanton Road and works at East Oxford hospice Helen House, said: "The proposal to issue a prayer call is very un-neighbourly, especially in a crowded urban space such as Oxford.
"I have lived in the Middle East and a prayer call has a very different feel to church bells and I personally found the noise extremely unpleasant, rather disturbing and very alien to the western mindset."
He added: "If an evangelical Christian preacher proposed issuing sermons three times a day at full volume there would be an outcry.
"There could be a sense of ghettoisation of East Oxford. Cowley Road would have a Muslim flavour and could become a Muslim ghetto which is contrary to what we want in a multicultural society."
Dr Huckster was among six residents speaking in opposition to the plans, revealed in the Oxford Mail in November - and one of three who was applauded for his comments.
Allan Chapman, who lives in East Oxford, said: "We are concerned with civil liberties and civil peace and the right to be able to live in our own space.
"I do not want preaching at. It is not the tradition of this country or the tradition I subscribe to.
He said: "I find this totally, utterly unacceptable and I plan to do whatever I can to stop it."
Samantha Mandrup, of Margaret Road, said: "I see this as a matter of civil liberty, noise pollution, and infringement of privacy."
David Hutcheson, of East Avenue, said: "I'm very happy for people to practice their own religion but very unhappy about the thought of having a loudspeaker broadcasting any messages into my private space."
After the meeting, Sardar Rana, a spokesman for the Central Mosque, said he would be happy to clarify any issues and invited anyone to come to the mosque so he could satisfy their concerns.
He said: "The call is going on in so many places in the UK, and we must get the same right as everybody else.
"When they ring the bells in church, we respect it but that is also a call to prayer.
"We don't want to do anything that will disturb the people or upset the people."
A HUMAN, OXFORD,UK says...
10:17pm Thu 20 Dec 07
A HUMAN, OXFORD,UK says...
10:19pm Thu 20 Dec 07
steve, oxford says...
10:47pm Thu 20 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
11:03pm Thu 20 Dec 07
Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster says...
11:17pm Thu 20 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
11:23pm Thu 20 Dec 07
Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster says...
11:33pm Thu 20 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
12:03am Fri 21 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
12:35am Fri 21 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
1:09am Fri 21 Dec 07
Mr. Sanchez, Oxford says...
8:49am Fri 21 Dec 07
Lilliput, oxon says...
9:23am Fri 21 Dec 07
Richard, Oxford says...
10:01am Fri 21 Dec 07
Rabbi tarquin, oxford says...
10:22am Fri 21 Dec 07
suspicious, oxford says...
10:24am Fri 21 Dec 07
Teddy, Khartoum, Sudan says...
12:37pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
1:26pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Sid Hunt, says...
1:45pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Richard wrote:Richard,
To be consistent & fair (a) this should not be allowed (b) church bells should be dismantled. Most people would be happy with both these things happening. Inicdentally, who is Mr Ison? He turns up on every comments page & drones out his daft agenda whilst completely ignoring the original subject. Can't his paranoid drivel be filtered out somehow? It's very boring!
Mr Ison, England says...
1:49pm Fri 21 Dec 07
peries, cowley says...
2:53pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
3:28pm Fri 21 Dec 07
rev byrd, oxford says...
3:33pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
3:42pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
4:01pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
4:46pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Swift Nick, says...
5:53pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
6:03pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Dan, Oxford says...
7:33pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Swift Nick, says...
7:34pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
7:39pm Fri 21 Dec 07
James, says...
7:43pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Swift Nick wrote:At times the phylactery holds a complete book, this could cause our musician to loose control of his pipes by pressure on the necks hyoid bone.
Would such an amulet protect the lone piper from the Wroth of the burghers of this fair city?
Swift Nick, says...
7:46pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Mr Ison wrote:Jumbo Jets had medium sized black boxes.
He could wear two on his Sporran. The Jews have small black boxes. The politicians have many black boxes. The Muslims have the biggest black box. In America bigger is better,the Muslims win.
Mr Ison, England says...
7:48pm Fri 21 Dec 07
r, east oxford says...
8:17pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
8:33pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
8:54pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Calidore, Jericho says...
9:04pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
9:07pm Fri 21 Dec 07
second class citizen, Oxford says...
10:05pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Juliana, london says...
10:33pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
10:44pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Jan Sibson, East Oxford says...
11:18pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
11:28pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Dan, Oxford says...
11:45pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Jan Sibson wrote:...allowing (Muslim) landlords to snap them up to rent out to the ever increasing number of students and economic migrants residing in East Oxford.
If the Mosque is allowed this call to prayer the value of any houses within earshot will plummet - costing any home owners in the area (including Muslim ones) Tens of Thousands of Pounds. If it is passed I suggest an economic counter blow of boycotting any Muslim owned business in the area
Mr Ison, England says...
11:50pm Fri 21 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
12:13am Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
12:18am Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
12:31am Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
12:33am Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
12:37am Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
12:38am Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
12:40am Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
12:43am Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
12:45am Sat 22 Dec 07
alan page, says...
12:48am Sat 22 Dec 07
Dan wrote:They seemed pretty tolerant when they were running Spain a few centuries back.
Interesting to see how my last post was censored. Every Muslim- be they 'fundamentalist' or 'moderate' believes that Allah is the One True God and that the World (of infidels) should be converted to Islam under Sharia law. Naturally, a call to prayer in Oxford is a great victory for spreading this message. What I find harder to understand, are the misguided 'Lefties' (usually white, middle- class with little real experience of hardship or the realities of what they drone on about) of East Oxford who welcome this as some sort of wonderful addition to 'culture/ colour/ cosmopolitanism/ diversity' and all those other tediously vague terms. Islam is NOT a tolerant or 'diverse' set of beliefs and subjugates all individuality to 'God'. How long until the butchers is forced to stop selling pork lest it offends? Or the off licenses? Or students wearing short skirts and tops in the Summer? This is quite apart from the hostility towards homosexuals and 'idolators' such as Buddhists and Hindus. How would people feel if Scientologists or Evangelical Christians demanded a platform to call their followers to hear about intergalactic warlords and multiviatmins for post- natal depression in the case of the former, or how homosexuals and doctors carrying out abortions will burn in hell for eternity in the case of the latter? Islamic countries do NOT have a tradition of tolerance towards anyone else (or indeed other factions within Islam) and it is a grave mistake to think of it in any other way.
tarquin, oxford says...
12:52am Sat 22 Dec 07
alan page, says...
12:58am Sat 22 Dec 07
Jan Sibson wrote:This is the crux isn't it.
If the Mosque is allowed this call to prayer the value of any houses within earshot will plummet - costing any home owners in the area (including Muslim ones) Tens of Thousands of Pounds. If it is passed I suggest an economic counter blow of boycotting any Muslim owned business in the area
Mr Ison, England says...
1:02am Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
1:11am Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
1:23am Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
1:30am Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
2:38am Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
2:42am Sat 22 Dec 07
Nadia, UK says...
4:10am Sat 22 Dec 07
Bob, oxford says...
7:42am Sat 22 Dec 07
juliana, says...
7:52am Sat 22 Dec 07
juliana, says...
7:53am Sat 22 Dec 07
G Williams, Leicester says...
11:40am Sat 22 Dec 07
alan page, says...
12:08pm Sat 22 Dec 07
tarquin wrote:Good to see you are living true to type.
Hi Al! Just got in after a rave. I'm buzzing off a pill I bought at a nightclub for only £2.50 and I'm having to wind down with a megasized doobie full of Afghan premium hash, which luckily I can get hold from a bourgeois friend of mine. I'd love to chat about Hegel some time but my attention span is limited due to the ... er... what was the question again, dude?
r, east oxford says...
1:02pm Sat 22 Dec 07
steve, cowley says...
1:24pm Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
1:25pm Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
1:32pm Sat 22 Dec 07
alan page, says...
2:56pm Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
3:05pm Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
3:11pm Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
3:20pm Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
3:25pm Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
3:34pm Sat 22 Dec 07
alan page, says...
3:47pm Sat 22 Dec 07
alan page wrote:Someone speak to me I'm lonely.
I'm actually just jealous of Tarquin I cant take drugs as it messes with my bi-polar medicationa and makes me incontinent. I said in my previous post To all the property values watching bigots on here. This actually doesnt make any sense - god I'm so thick!! I wish I had my own house and didn't still live with my mum.. I've just realised I havent said bourgouis!!!!!
Mr Ison, England says...
3:48pm Sat 22 Dec 07
Bernard, says...
3:53pm Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
3:56pm Sat 22 Dec 07
Swift Nick, says...
4:38pm Sat 22 Dec 07
James, says...
4:50pm Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
4:58pm Sat 22 Dec 07
alan page, says...
5:05pm Sat 22 Dec 07
Swift Nick, says...
5:08pm Sat 22 Dec 07
Jim, says...
5:10pm Sat 22 Dec 07
alan page, says...
5:22pm Sat 22 Dec 07
juliana, says...
5:37pm Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
6:13pm Sat 22 Dec 07
William, Oxford says...
6:43pm Sat 22 Dec 07
juliana wrote:Juliana.....go bake a cake...
I think Mr Ison (who's obviously woken up again,) should get a life. It must be sad being on the internet ALL day
steve, botley says...
7:59pm Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
8:37pm Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
9:08pm Sat 22 Dec 07
Martin, Brisbane, Australia says...
9:28pm Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
9:30pm Sat 22 Dec 07
second class citizen, Oxford says...
9:41pm Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison wrote:Well. I asked Florence what she thought about it and she was aghast!
For these voicepipes you may want to look at different materials,plastic maybe no good acoustically,ceramic may be better. You would probably also need repeater stations. From what i can make out this technology would be found fitting for those that have been described as a primitive peoples so there should really be no opposition.
Mr Ison, England says...
9:50pm Sat 22 Dec 07
second class citizen, Oxford says...
10:02pm Sat 22 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
10:06pm Sat 22 Dec 07
alan page, says...
12:57am Sun 23 Dec 07
Jim wrote:No but rather amusing none the less.
Not a very intelligent one at that.
Mr Ison, England says...
2:43am Sun 23 Dec 07
alan page, says...
10:02am Sun 23 Dec 07
alan page wrote:God I'm so amusing I've just shat myself!
Jim wrote: Not a very intelligent one at that.No but rather amusing none the less. Let them babble away, they say more about themselves than about me. It's quite flattering they consider me that much of a threat. Doesn't say much for democracy though if this is where stating honest opinions leads.
Mr. Barratt, Oxford says...
6:39pm Sun 23 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
6:50pm Sun 23 Dec 07
Mr. Barrett, Oxford says...
8:00pm Sun 23 Dec 07
alan page, says...
10:08pm Mon 24 Dec 07
alan page wrote:"Neither foes the bagpipe boy".
alan page wrote:God I'm so amusing I've just shat myself! My mother (who I love and still live with) doesnt consider me a threat neither foes the bagpipe boy who I love dearly. I am also incredibly crap at punctuation - back to school for me!! P.S Have you noticed i logged on at 12.57am on a Sunday morning - it's all go in my life!!!Jim wrote: Not a very intelligent one at that.No but rather amusing none the less. Let them babble away, they say more about themselves than about me. It's quite flattering they consider me that much of a threat. Doesn't say much for democracy though if this is where stating honest opinions leads.
Mr Ison, England says...
6:40pm Tue 25 Dec 07
d rees, carmarthen says...
11:58am Thu 27 Dec 07
Bob, Torbay says...
1:43pm Thu 27 Dec 07
Dave, Exmouth says...
7:08pm Thu 27 Dec 07
Mr Ison, England says...
7:33pm Thu 27 Dec 07
s. Maxwell-Wood, Nr. Banbury, OXON says...
4:28pm Wed 2 Jan 08
John, Oxford says...
2:49pm Thu 3 Jan 08
gecko, cowley says...
4:54am Fri 4 Jan 08
"sharia is incompatible with the fundamental principles of democracy"
DaveP, Beverley, UK says...
9:55pm Fri 4 Jan 08
Local Resident, Temple Road, Cowley says...
8:06am Sat 5 Jan 08
DaveP, Beverley, UK says...
3:11pm Sat 5 Jan 08
<b>“Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.”</b>
Worried, Oxford says...
9:49pm Tue 8 Jan 08
Richard, Oxford says...
2:29am Sun 13 Jan 08
Anon, Cowley Road area says...
12:06pm Mon 14 Jan 08
Mark, Luton says...
9:02am Sun 20 Jan 08
dave james, devon says...
2:40pm Thu 31 Jan 08
clive, windsor says...
1:33pm Sat 2 Feb 08
John, UK says...
7:01pm Thu 7 Feb 08
David, London says...
11:37am Fri 8 Feb 08
Tablege Dai, London says...
11:42am Fri 8 Feb 08
Ken, Oxford says...
3:27pm Tue 12 Feb 08
maura collins, Ireland. says...
1:04pm Sun 24 Feb 08
Paul Fordyce, Sydney Australia says...
11:37am Wed 21 May 08
tom, oxford says...
2:53pm Mon 16 Jun 08
tom, oxford says...
3:05pm Mon 16 Jun 08
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A HUMAN, OXFORD,UK says...
10:16pm Thu 20 Dec 07
If it affects you then people are affected by the disgusting lyrics in some music across shops. Also the bells that go off...if u except them ...then why not except this.
and it and a SERMON!!
A call to prayer .lol