Group demands ban on Fajr Aazan across India

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
1

Hindutva group in Mangalore demands ban on Fajr Aazan across India

By Shaik Zakeer Hussain, TwoCircles.net,

Mangalore: In an ostensibly provocative act to disturb communal harmony among different religious communities, Rashtriya Hindu Andolan, a little known Mangalore-based Hindutva outfit has called for the morning Muslim call to prayer (Aazan) to be banned across the country.

Activists from various right wing groups organised a protest in Mangalore on Sunday morning in front of the office of Deputy Commissioner, demanding the authorities to impose ban on the Adhan call during early morning.

“Every citizen has the right to practice his own religion and tradition in India. But their way of practice should not harm others,” said Vijayalaxmi, an activist from Sanatana Dharma, one of the many smaller and larger organisations participating in the protest. Vivek Pai, Vice President of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, said that sleep is the birth right of every citizen and the Supreme Court of India has placed restrictions on the use of loudspeakers in public places. He said that the use of loudspeakers between 10 pm and 6 am in public places is restricted, and questioned the use of loudspeakers for the call of prayer in a mosque. He called for a permanent stop on using loudspeakers for Aazan, and called for severe punishment against those officers permitting the use of loudspeakers or anyone using loudspeakers for Adhaan.

The protest follows a series of violent incidents witnessed in Mangalore in recent days, which many Muslims believe is a forerunner to events to come in the future. The day Narendra Modi led BJP to a historic victory at the centre, a group of inebriated right wing hooligans attacked two Mosques in separate places of the district.

Source: is.gd/9RN1pT

A small incident indeed, but with potential to turn into a big issue. I hope Modi sarkar would urgently look into this incident and quell it promptly to protect religious tolerance and harmony in the country.

2

Re: Group demands ban on Fajr Aazan across India

Here we go.

3

Re: Group demands ban on Fajr Aazan across India

it would be interesting to see how Modi sarkar will rein in these people?

4

Re: Group demands ban on Fajr Aazan across India

marg bar hindustan

5

Re: Group demands ban on Fajr Aazan across India

it can never materialize...there can never be a ban on azaan because if that happens then Hindus have to stop their shankh blowing, ghanTaa bajaaying and bhajan in their Mandirs too along with Sikhs singing hymns at Gurduwaras.

having said that, there can be compromises...i believe azaan itself, which is hardly 2 minute long, is not a big problem. the problem is the length of time it takes ALL the masaajid in the area to finish it. it takes 10-15 minutes when all the masaajids are done with their call for prayer. i think there must be ONE time for ALL the masaajids to start calling azaan.

Barelvis have recently started blaring na'ts and other stuff on loudspeakers full blast right after fajar salaat and continues for more than 30 minutes from several masaaji at the same time. imagine how non Muslims will feel if they can't sleep in the morning? in competition, Sunnis have started reciting munaajaats etc and Hindus started bhajans in the morning on the same scale as Muslims.

i think loudspeakers must be banned from the country. there is no need for it.

6

Re: Group demands ban on Fajr Aazan across India

Misuse of Religion is the root cause of all evil. Hardly 5 pct percent of this world's population is truly religious. Rest simply engage in knocking down other faiths and creating trouble.

Early morning bhajans on streets was a foreign concept to me. On my recent trip while going for a jog at say 5 am there was a group walking the streets and singing bhajans. Didn't connect the dots. Maybe as KKF said they r also competition to make noise.

The morning loud speaker didn't bother me growing up cause I sleep soundly. Having said that blaring the prayers over loud speaker early in the morning will disturb sleep. Especially of those who may not have sturdy noise proof walls. Which for most part people don't.

Clearly every rational person will be against the goons making mischief now. But I hope early morning prayers also respect the need for others to have quiet. Regardless of whether sound comes from mandir masjid or gurudwara.

7

Re: Group demands ban on Fajr Aazan across India

Mangalore in the news all over again :hypo: I am from Mangalore and nobody even noticed this. I got to know this from here only.

That said I fully agree with KKF and Southie. Individual azaan is fine but if you take all the surrounding mosques it becomes an hassle. In my part of the state the muslims conduct something called urs every year… They use the loudspeakers well into the night and it becomes really a nuisance.

It is not just muslims.. Hindus start the early morning bhajans and becomes a real pain. Christians recently decided to forego the midnight mass for New year at my parish. They celebrated Christmas with the midnight mass with all the loudspeakers blaring.. Sometimes I think God would need to have ear plugs to keep out the noise.

8

Re: Group demands ban on Fajr Aazan across India

KKF you are spot on - loudspeakers need to be banned, at least during the times when most people are asleep. Doesn't matter if the loudspeakers are playing religious songs or nursery rhymes. This isn't a religious issue, just a civic (and common sense) one.

9

Call to Azaan was a reminder as well as a locator. With watches and timetables the need is minimized. Same for location, although to a lesser extent.

Is it really needed in the way it is done right now?

Now if someone feels that I can't use technology to negate a practice, then okay let's go to the basics and there are no loud speakers and let's do away with the naat nasheed marsiysy and other dhama chokri on loud speakers.

...But the noise pov should apply to all groups.

10

Re: Group demands ban on Fajr Aazan across India

Yes. The noise pollution SHOULD apply to all groups. That reminds me - when I was in Chennai 10 years back, I woke up to MS Subhalakshmi's Suprabhatam blaring from some local loudspeaker. As a visitor to the city, it was a novelty and I enjoyed it. But I am sure that is equally disturbing to folks who are trying to sleep.

Application needs to be fair.

Personally I always liked the early morning call to prayers (Azaan?) during the rare times I would be awake at the time of the call. Pretty soothing. Maybe some sort of compromise reached. Set a limit to decibel level.

11

Re: Group demands ban on Fajr Aazan across India

except it is being raised by a biased hindu group - not a civic organzation. and lets be honest - how often do hindu festivities and celebrations spill over onto public areas disrupting everything? will there be a ban on holi? it is no fun for asthmatics. and the zillions of processions that block traffic, the loud music that goes on forever during times like navratri? this is nothing but an attempt to isolate and irritate muslims thinly veiled as a civic issue.

12

Re: Group demands ban on Fajr Aazan across India

^ Totally agree about the motivation of this "civic minded" group.

Best is not make any changes for the 1st term of Modi. Let things settle down. And reassess. Need to have honesty in the process. The group that is raising this issue lacks credibility wrt communal issues.

13

Re: Group demands ban on Fajr Aazan across India

Many people arguing for conforming to a monoculture here … I don’t like it …

I would prefer to each religious group follow their religion properly - extended talks on loud speakers is not required by any madhab but it appears that certain groups choose do it … Curtailment is okay but not total dryness - pluralism has the heart of culture in it … take that away and you begin to take your culture away.

Why has nobody cited the very important line in the Fajr Azaan?

As-salatu-khairum-min-an-naum … The Prayer is better than your sleep
Early to bed and early to rise makes one healthy, (wealthy), and wise …

Surely to wake at the time of Fajr is a great blessing … It is an incredibly tasty time for sleep and I feel most people who have no intention to get up to pray will sleep right through the azaan at Fajr. The proof is in the pudding. Making Fajr successfully sets out the day to run smoothly … farmers get up at that time and Roosters will crow at that time - try stopping the cockerels from their calls as well?

Petty excuses to satisfy the nufs … extended sleep is a kind indulgence that previous generations have not known - we will turn our people in our societies in to “weak-willed-lazy-bones-es” …

Do we really want that?

Time to wake up: A healthy person should get up two hours before sunrise. During this hours the Vata element is dominant. Waking up two hours before dawn you utilize the Vata qualities in the nature. Vata is light, subtle and clear and this helps in tuning the body to the delicate messages the nature sends. This is the time when there is the most sattva in the air and environment. It is the most fresh and pure time of the day. Some exceptions to this rule of rising are the very young, the old, parents with small children, and people with diseases.

http://www.buddhism.org/board/read.cgi?board=Hwadu&y_number=24

Method of controlling sleep

Realistically the most difficult thing for practitioners to overcome is sleep. Can one name anything that is a greater hindrance to study than “sleep” or “sleepiness”? Anybody at all who sits on the cushion and calms down the spirit a little bit is immediately assaulted by sleepiness. Each time sleepiness comes, it is important that one gets rid of the impediment to meditation practice by disciplining the body well in the midst of everyday life so that one can go on to overcome it and to spur one on to taking up the hwadu. Sleepiness comes from false thoughts. That is definitely not an absolute thing. If one tries to continue practice well, the time for sleep diminishes bit by bit. Do not try to keep to the sleeping time, but rather, if one honestly sits in meditation, one can continue on the vigorous practice that brims over energetically with energy that does not trap one in sleep. Now let us talk about a number of methods of overcoming sleep.

Proverbs 20:13
New International Version

**Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare.

**18 Successful People Who Get By On Barely Any Sleep

Sleep Restriction is an Effective Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia
http://sleepdisorders.about.com/od/sleepdisorderstreatment/a/Sleep_Restriction_Insomnia.htm

14

Re: Group demands ban on Fajr Aazan across India

It is posts like this that reminds me that some people impose their religion and customs and views of when you should sleep and when you should be up on others. And posts such as this that will ultimately catalyzed such bans. Such posts serve as a stark reminder that some people , when they are in the majority, will not hesitate to impose their will on the masses of all colors stripes and faiths. And hence will serve as the best argument for mischief makers who in this instance are creating trouble by asking for a ban.

Be truly secular in your heart and actions when you are in the majority. And you have earned the right to being treated fairly when you are a minority. Make such arguments. And the inconsistency of your argument is clear for folks to see.

15

Re: Group demands ban on Fajr Aazan across India

Yes, waking up early is healthy, but please do not force people to do it, specially those who do not subscribe to your religion. What if you are a mother and were up all night with little kids and need a little sleep in morning? What if you are sick and mosques around you keep blaring all morning?

Mosques were given liberty to do azaan on loudspeakers but now that they have crossed boundaries of decency, naturally people would react. Please lay the blame where it should be.

How would you like if you were living in a hindu majority country with several temples around you started bhajans on loudspeakers every day while you wanted to pray, study, work or sleep?

16

Re: Group demands ban on Fajr Aazan across India

Have you even read my response? If you had you would realise that your remarks are out of place ... I am arguing for pluralism - which means "all religious groups get their way" ... And according to my post all religious groups have an ingrained culture for waking early ... My argument is that the new contention to Azaan is misplaced ... It has never been a problem before.

17

Re: Group demands ban on Fajr Aazan across India

Time to nitpick. :slight_smile:

You typed the word “Muslims” twice, with lower-case m, however you appropriately capitalized “Hindus” and “Christians”. Was that intentional or inadvertant ? Just curious. :hmmm:

18

Re: Group demands ban on Fajr Aazan across India

:smack:
Because the words ‘Hindus’ and ‘Christians’ are at the beginning of the sentence.

19

Re: Group demands ban on Fajr Aazan across India

Fair enough. I hadn’t noticed that. :chai:

20

Re: Group demands ban on Fajr Aazan across India

Maybe before there wasn't much of a 'ratings war' going on between mosques to attract customers and put down competition.

An analogy is ban on kite flying in Lahore. Before, there were a few fatal incidents every year during basant but by and large, people enjoyed the festival. Things got worse after introduction of 'non-breakable' string and metal strings used to fly kites. After a loss of many many lives, government tried to control the industry for a couple of years but when people didn't listen, the whole thing had to be shut down.

Cultural vibrancy and plurality is to be weighed against social harmony. Mosques, with their unruly behavior, have been asking to be banned from use of loudspeakers for a long time now.

There is no fajr azaan on loudspeakers in Japan, but do we see the country full of "weak-willed-lazy-bones-es"? There are lots of such azaans in Pakistan, and we still see the country full of ......