Cairo Cancels Adhans

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Cairo, Egypt -- Multiple Adhans Cancelled?
adhan_no1
City of 1,000 'Silent Towers"?

The Adhan is the Muslim call to prayer around the world. But next week, that call is undergoing a radical change.adhan5

Responding to criticisms that the current uncoordinated delivery lacks dignity, the government's Ministry of Religious Endowment has announced plans to broadcast a single Islamic call to prayer from a downtown Cairo studio.

That call will be transmitted through special receivers to thousands of mosques registered with the government. The mosques, in turn, are required to stop using their own callers, or muezzinine, and instead use the new call.

The hope is to bring uniformity to a ritual that some say is out of control.

"It's chaos, chaos," says Abdul Munam Suroji, during a visit to a hilltop park in the capital where he listened to the call. The 54-year-old Syrian tourist says the azan in Damascus sounds much better because it is a uniform call.

Egyptian officials say they have selected 30 of the best muezzinine from among the thousands in the city to take turns delivering the call to prayer starting on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan next week. The new call will be heard in a single district of Cairo, but will gradually be introduced throughout the capital and eventually to all of the 106,000 official mosques across Egypt.

Many religious scholars, including Mohamed el Shahat el Gindy, who heads the Islamic law department at Helwan University, support the decision. El Gindy said the current call is "against the spirit of azan."

Also, he added, the verses sung may differ from mosque to mosque, thereby confusing worshippers.

What is a Minaret Without a Muezzin?
Answer: "A Silent Tower"
Cairo's unique cityscape with its ancient mosques. Since 640 AD, as many mosques have appeared throughout Egypt, so Cairo, has acquired the nickname of "city of a thousand minarets"

New Policy Meets Resistance

But muezzinine like Ehab Mohammad, who will no longer be allowed to deliver the call, are not happy about being silenced, even though he and others will continue to receive their monthly salary of roughly $55 a month.

His friend, Mohammad Fawzi, who delivers the call to prayer at a mosque down the street, says it is not just a job. He believes being a muezzin gives him and others a leg up in the next life.

"The prophet says those who lead the [call to] prayer have the longest necks and will stand the tallest on judgment day," Fawzi says. "So of course I'm against them denying us the azan."

Cairo resident Aya Hassan, a 20-year-old pharmacy student, is displeased about the ministry's plan.

"All the different voices make you feel like everyone is kneeling and praying to Allah at the same time," she says. "One voice will seem empty."

Hassan worries that residents in the city's many squatter neighborhoods could end up unaware of when to pray if their unofficial mosques are not given transmitters.

Others say the call to prayer is a religious matter and the government shouldn't be involved in changing it.

But for the religion ministry, the matter is no longer open to discussion.

There are few Islamic traditions in Cairo older than the ritual, five-times-a-day call to prayer. But as of next week, that call is undergoing a radical change.

No longer will the melodic call, the azan, be delivered by a sea of voices from minarets across the sprawling Egyptian capital.

Responding to criticisms that the current uncoordinated delivery lacks dignity, the government's Ministry of Religious Endowment has announced plans to broadcast a single Islamic call to prayer from a downtown Cairo studio.

That call will be transmitted through special receivers to thousands of mosques registered with the government. The mosques, in turn, are required to stop using their own callers, or muezzinine, and instead use the new call.

Several Christians from Egypt expressed happiness with the new practice and even suggested to cancel it altogether and just let people play a tape or video inside their mosques or homes.

Editor's Note: (actually, a question for the 12 million Christians in Egypt) - "What is the limit on number of bells a church can ring - all at the same time?"

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Comments   

#16 UmAbdirahman 2010-08-11 05:46
Sad indeed, no niqab in univeristies, and now no adhan's in local masjids whats next? La Hawla Wala Quwa. May Allah give us strong committed muslim leaders ameen.
#15 Muhammad Nawaz 2010-08-11 00:42
it's bullsh*t. Egyptians are going to be mad, Muslims should stand against it. i am from UAE, it's not true that UAE is also practicing like this, i some small mosques (wooden cabin), where there is no facility for mohazzan, they use Digital Clock for Azan.
#14 Yusuf 2010-08-10 07:36
Muslims all over the world should rise up against their leaders who dance to the tune of non-Muslims (Jews & Christians).
#13 shahidhusain 2010-08-10 04:23
The end time isgetting very closer, a very near to its degree, as said by our prophet' Janab Muhammad rasulullah {sallallahu alayhi wa aalihi was sallam].There will a pointing fingers at your wearing of Hijab,
#12 Dana 2010-08-10 02:39
La hawla wa la quwata illa billah, even Egypt! And Have you also heard that in syria some universities or so are not allowing women with niqab to study. AstufurAllah, this is truly a test for the muslims, a test so that we can rise up, move, and have our rights, and Egypt is not the only country which has an issue...Poor Adhan workers, it is indeed not fair for them and we must keep the traditions of islam, most of the people talk without action, because its a huge world, and millions of people, each muslim individual may say the same thing or even have the same intention to do something which they may not beable because of the leaders and governments these days, and only Allah can strengthen our deen, isn't it one of the signs of the end of the world? Allah knows best! But its not going to stay like this, no its not. People will rise one day, islam will revive inshaAllah, And once again Allah knows Best! Allah will judge us all. And May Allah increase our faith and strength, Ameen.
#11 foosiya 2010-08-09 10:20
the Egyptian Govt they will get soon answer by Allah don.t they seeing what is going on the earth today . I pray to Allah ishaAllah
#10 Phraha eva 2010-08-09 03:43
I'm sorry to sound racist but many Arabs are spoiling our deen! Now what the hell is that?
#9 Rakhshanda 2010-08-08 22:09
In my view its the beauty of Islam, don't let christian and others to pass comments on it as they've already given some ideas to stop it and only use tape or videos in their surrounding. We can imagine how happy are they with this kind of decisions! May Almighty guide us
#8 Abdul Rahman 2010-08-08 16:40
This has been practised in UAE since 2 or 3 years now
#7 Adiba 2010-08-08 08:27
It doesn't even make sense...A'oozub illah!! May we not become tolerant to these steps towards diminishing the basic practises of Islam, Ameen.

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