The Muslim call to prayer will ring out more freely in New York City under guidelines announced Tuesday by Mayor Eric Adams, which he said should foster a spirit of inclusivity.

Under the new rules, Adams said, mosques will not need a special permit to publicly broadcast the Islamic call to prayer, or adhan, on Fridays and at sundown during the holy month of Ramadan. Friday is the traditional Islamic holy day, and Muslims break their fast at sunset during Ramadan.

The police department’s community affairs bureau will work with mosques to communicate the new guidelines and ensure that devices used to broadcast the adhan are set to appropriate decibel levels, Adams said. Houses of worship can broadcast up to 10 decibels over the ambient sound level, the mayor’s office said.

  • @[email protected]
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    372 years ago

    Religion: Get away without paying taxes, receive special privileges, and influence government policy!

  • @[email protected]
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    52 years ago

    So see if the city has like a max db for speakers, get a device to measure the decibels and complain on that front. Let them know you are not arguing about the prayer ( sucks but I think that battle is lost for now) but the noise level is disruptive

    • @[email protected]
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      42 years ago

      see if the city has like a max db for speakers

      Houses of worship can broadcast up to 10 decibels over the ambient sound level, the mayor’s office said.

      Did you miss that part?

      • @[email protected]
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        12 years ago

        I actual did miss that, but the purpose of doing what I said would be making sure they did not exceed the decibel limit

  • @[email protected]
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    272 years ago

    Well, they managed to put the foot in the door (you’re fucked) just you wait what other special treatments religious folk will require …

  • @[email protected]
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    602 years ago

    I wonder if this could be solved by Church of Satan setting up and blasting Slayer or some death metal at 10db above ambient. Seems only fair.

    • Flying Squid
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      162 years ago

      The Satanic Temple. They’re the awesome activists. The Church of Satan are a bunch of Ayn Rand-loving assholes who do a bunch of stupid woo-woo rituals and try to justify hedonism.

    • @[email protected]
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      72 years ago

      If they actually use it in the same manner (congregation, break fast, something besides just to make noise ), why not? After all, their point is “what’s for you is for me as well.”

    • @[email protected]
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      62 years ago

      I’m picturing some angry dude in an apartment near this place just blasting death metal out a, window to drown the prayer out.

      It’s a start.

      • @[email protected]
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        22 years ago

        When I was in college there was a culture of blasting out music from the windows of the dorms.

        Mostly hip hop and pop, not really my genres at the time (though I got into some niche hip hop years later)

        At the time, a metal guitarist had recently died violently. They were a local band with a global reach, well local to me, about 2 hours from campus.

        That day everyone knew their music, lol. Had my “metal” friends come up with speakers and any other audio gear they could muster.

        In my defense, unlike other noise polluters, I observed quiet hours.

  • UltraMagnus0001
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    272 years ago

    what if you live next door? Kinda like your neighbor’s dog barking or mowing grass if you work nights

    • squiblet
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      172 years ago

      I lived about 3 miles from a church in a mid-sized town in the midwest. On Sundays they’d play music on some gigantic jangly bell thing I could hear loudly at my house… again, 3 miles away. I can’t imagine the noise complaints a regular person would get for playing something that loud, but they’re a church so apparently it’s fine.

      • @[email protected]
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        42 years ago

        On the one hand, I would be annoyed by more loud noise. On the other hand, it would show the other churches how obnoxious their 5 to 10 minute bell jingles are (hopefully).

      • @[email protected]
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        52 years ago

        This happens surprisingly often. There is a church on my block that I can’t hear unless I go right up to the building on Sundays and I know that they do get into because during Covid they moved outside with the singing.

    • @[email protected]
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      62 years ago

      Used to go to school near a mosque.

      Their broadcasts are actually some really nice kind of singing, which is a lot less intrusive than the church bells I get across the village at 6 in the morning.

  • @[email protected]
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    742 years ago

    Having lived in Bedstuy where a loud Muslim prayer happens every Friday morning, it’s annoying as fuck and should not be exempted from ordinary noise ordinances.

    • @[email protected]
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      32 years ago

      Every Friday isn’t that bad, here in Indonesia especially around Java it will be played every evening, some even plays it 5 times a day…

    • @[email protected]
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      492 years ago

      I lived right next to a Mosque in Kensington (that opened up without a proper permit in a residential zone a year after I purchased my property). They used to broadcast their prayers at ungodly volume. It was loud as hell, would cut through my headphones and ruin any ability I had to do anything, even think straight. I made numerous noise complaints but nothing was ever done by the NYPD. Got so bad that I finally sold the place and moved somewhere dominated by orthodox Jewry just because I knew they’d serve as a bulwark against me ever having to hear any prayers again.

      I’m sure that the people who think this is a good idea view it as a simple matter of religious freedom. It is not. My experience was one of having someone else’s religion thrust upon me. Church bells are annoying and loud, but they do not contain actual religiosity. I was always taught that my rights ended when I infringe upon someone else’s rights. Broadcasting prayers so loud it can be heard above the ambient noise in NYC is trampling on my rights to exist free of religion.

      Believe whatever you want, but keep it to yourself. I feel awful for everyone who lives near a mosque in NYC.

      • @[email protected]
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        162 years ago

        My experience was one of having someone else’s religion thrust upon me.

        That’s exactly what this is. If someone is part of the religion, they either already know what time it is or have set up their own alarm to notify them. The only reason to blast this across the neighbourhood is to force everyone to hear it.

        Freedom of religion is freedom from religion.

        • @[email protected]
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          32 years ago

          Yeah, these are annoying as fuck and should not be exempt from noise ordinances. This isn’t 1900, they all have phones they can get a notification if they really don’t know what day it is.

  • @[email protected]
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    472 years ago

    This is some backward ass bullshit. Keep your religious garbage to yourself. Complain about Christians forcing school prayers then have this dumb shit.

  • teft
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    2 years ago

    The Islamic call to prayer happens before sunrise, just after noon, late afternoon, just after sunset, and night time.

    I think you’re going to have a fuck load of complaining when that bad boy goes off at 4:30 am. I used to live in Mosul and you could hear the imams all across the city. It’s like a giant alarm clock.

  • Jaywarbs
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    672 years ago

    We hear church bells all the time, so this seems reasonable.

    • ME5SENGER_24
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      462 years ago

      Glad church bells were the top comment… I grew up across the street from a church and I cannot say this loud enough FUCK CHURCH BELLS!! Ban them both, if you need to be called to pray or told what time it is buy a smartphone and set a reminder.

    • @[email protected]
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      212 years ago

      Are they using bells then?

      I’d be annoyed if I lived near a Christian church that had a megaphone telling people to come pray, but bells at least seem less intrusive.

        • @[email protected]
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          102 years ago

          Maybe just personal preference for me then, but I find it’s easier to ignore as it registers as background noise.

          Someone blasting music or a speech would absolutely drive me up the wall though.

          • Flying Squid
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            92 years ago

            I’m wondering if you grew up hearing them and that’s why. You’re far more likely to tune out an intrusive noise that you’re very used to.

        • @[email protected]
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          162 years ago

          Do you know what’s not loud? Configuring alarms in your phone. Wonder if these people have thought about it.

      • diprount_tomato
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        152 years ago

        Oh yes, the mind control rays that turn the anal religion antenna on to make you follow evil beliefs

        • Bernie Ecclestoned
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          52 years ago

          In the Middle Ages, bells were thought to have supernatural powers. During the 7th century it is said that the Bishop of Aurelia rang the bells to warn people of an attack. When the enemy heard them, they were said to have fled in fear. The people credited the bells with having saved them. In a world with little man-made noise, the sound of bells was not only majestic, but could be deeply fearful

          Where does fear occur?

    • Pons_Aelius
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      262 years ago

      I lived next door to a church for a while, it was a fucking nightmare.

    • @[email protected]
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      92 years ago

      Church bells originally existed for a purpose though and that was to strike the hour and ring alarm. Iirc the call to prayer can be used to tell time but like once or twice a day at best.

      • teft
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        2 years ago

        You can’t set a watch by prayer times unless you have a prayer time table for your locality. Since the start and end times for prayers are related to the solar diurnal motion, they vary throughout the year and depend on the local latitude and longitude when expressed in local time.

        • @[email protected]
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          22 years ago

          God: it’s 4:34:43 AM EST and oh whoops you didn’t get your prayer rug out on time. That one’s going straight to hell. Crosses name out on clipboard

        • @[email protected]
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          12 years ago

          Correct, though if your familiar with the area it’s a pretty good way to find out what time it is. Bells just do it better.

        • @[email protected]
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          22 years ago

          Correct, I’m just saying that’s why bells are still allowed to ring without regards to sound ordinance.

      • @[email protected]
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        62 years ago

        See I live in a wee village and despite my non- religiousness, the church bells are absolutely lovely.

        I’d like to know if Muslims find the call to prayer a nice sound

    • @[email protected]
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      142 years ago

      That’s the argument that all the “Muslims shouldn’t have extra privileges” miss.

      No one should have extra privileges, but we can’t take away church bells because of all the Christians would cry foul, so we’re stuck giving more religions the right to make excess noise everytime they ask because otherwise it’s discrimination.

      • @[email protected]
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        82 years ago

        Caterwauling over a loudspeaker is much more disruptive and annoying than a bell and I don’t care who is caterwauling or ringing the bell

        But honestly, yeah, apply all noise limits to everyone in the same way. If a bell is being rung during quiet hours and it’s too loud, then hit the church with a violation.

        • @[email protected]
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          32 years ago

          Look, you let one group be loud, you let all similar groups be loud. You don’t get to choose based on who you like or who makes a sound you like. Fair is fair.

          I’d rather peace and quiet thank you very much, if I can’t have that, I’d rather fair rules over arbitrary ones.

          • @[email protected]
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            22 years ago

            It’s all relative noise levels and how reasonable a noise is. Tbh I’ve never lived somewhere with church bells that make loud noises during night hours like the Muslims do with their call to prayer, but I guess if a church was doing that, I’d support restricting them, too.

  • @[email protected]
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    102 years ago

    I still think this issue can be solved with an app. In fact I am willing to help work on it as long as they promise to put it to bed.

    You get a little cry to prayer on your personal device based on your location.

    • m_r_butts
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      182 years ago

      Bothering other people is the point, making their religion an expected part of the landscape.

    • @[email protected]
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      32 years ago

      There’s hundreds of apps that already do this, I have two of them on my phone. There’s more to it than just the sound