Re: Cairo to synchronise azaan
This NEWS isnt any new:
One voice for Cairo’s call to prayer
As dawn breaks over the twin stone towers of Bab Zuwaila, the evocative Islamic call to prayer echoes across Cairo as it has since the massive, fortified gate was built in the 11th Century.
Back then, the muezzin would close his eyes, raise his voice to the heavens and sing out the Adhan, the ritual reminder made to all faithful Muslims five times a day.
From mosques a few streets away, the call would be repeated across the old walled city until hundreds of minarets were united in a mighty, man-made chorus.
Today, technology has taken over in the form of amplifiers, microphones and speakers.
All too often, the call to prayer is broadcast to a less-than-divine accompaniment of crackle, hiss and feedback.
A preparatory clearing of the throat, swilling of saliva or clicking of the jaw can be unblushingly transmitted at top volume.
Increasingly Cairenes complain that the call to prayer has become less a pleasant reminder than a raucous aural assault on the senses.
Now the government is poised to unify the Adhan by broadcasting the voice of a single muezzin five times a day to all of the capital’s 4,000 mosques.
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Although nice to discuss.
In UAE they have synchronized the Adhan for some Years. It can be a good thing BUT they should say it on Speakers rather than letting it only within Mosque area as it is specially for people who are outside of the Mosques.
Further more for those who say that it sometimes is not bearable or cant hear other person or etc, would they like this trend then, will they feel comfortable my having Adhan like a song?
**Istanbul’s tuneless muezzins get voice training **
It is meant to be a beautiful, melodic and spiritual start to the day.
But the morning calls to prayer by some of Istanbul’s muezzins and imams have had locals plugging their ears rather than reaching for their prayer books.
The problem is such that following a flood of complaints by locals, special classes for the tuneless culprits have been set up.
Imam Mehmet Tas, one of the school’s first pupils, said he was already feeling the benefits.
“I have so much more self-confidence now in my abilities to do all five calls to prayer in their correct tempos,” he said.
The improvement scheme was put together by Mustafa Cagrici, the city's head of religious affairs, who is determined to make sure all of the city's 3,000 mosques produce a beautiful call-to-prayer each morning.
"For some reason, these imams were hired even though their voices are not good, they just can’t sing!
"We're doing our best to help our imams and muezzins to improve their singing."
He says that since lessons started, complaints have dropped from hundreds a month to just dozens, an improvement that can be credited to the singing teacher, Seyfettin Tomakin.
“I personally find a badly sung azan [call to prayer] very disturbing,” he said.
"The azan is music, beautiful music that brings people to God, that’s why it’s so important to sing it well.
“Sure, there are some people who find it harder than others, that’s why some come here for a year. But my job is to find their voice to enable them to sing.”
Sadly, for some, no amount of teaching will ever be enough.
“There are some people who can’t improve - no matter how much training you give them,” said Mr Cagrici.
“So we connect their mosque, by radio, to a central mosque where there’s an imam who can sing.”
Source:
BBC News - Istanbul's tuneless muezzins get voice training
