Islam Allowed to Recite Prayers Over Loud Speaker

(Foxnews.com) Over some residents’ objections, the City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to allow a mosque to send out a call to prayer to Muslims (search) on a loudspeaker. The Bangladeshi al-Islah (search) mosque asked for permission to air the Arabic call to prayer via loudspeakers five times a day, though it compromised by agreeing not to air the call before 6 a.m. or after 10 p.m. Some Muslims say the call is the equivalent of church bells. Opponents argued that church bells have no religious significance and that allowing the Arabic call, which lasts less than two minutes, unfairly elevates Islam above other religions.