Religious freedom or nighttime noise? Israelis debate call to prayer

(The Christian Science Monitor) Shortly before noon, the Muslim call to prayer rang out from the imposing Al-Omari Mosque across the mixed Jewish-Arab town of Ramla, wafting over a crowded market. No one seemed to pay heed, aside from a small group of men who assembled for the noon prayer.

But the call from the loudspeakers is now on the front line of a conflict in Israel. Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, is considering two bills that would silence mosque loudspeakers, at least during night hours, on the grounds that they cause an unnecessary noise disturbance. The issue has caused heated debate about the place of religion in public space in Israel.

Sponsors of the bill say it is designed to prevent noise pollution. Moti Yogev, a rightist parliament member who has sponsored one of the bills, told the legislature that the proposed law expressed “the simple principle according to which freedom of religion should not harm the sleep and quality of life of citizens.”