Jerusalem – Israeli Bill To Muffle Muslim Call To Prayer Stokes Tempers On All Sides

Jerusalem – Following the approval Sunday of the so-called Muezzin bill of Bayit Yehudi MK Moti Yogev for a preliminary reading in the Knesset, activists on both sides of the dispute regarding the noise-levels of the Islamic call to prayer have spoken out.

Arye Orange of Pisgat Ze’ev in north Jerusalem has been campaigning for relief from what he describes as an “unbearable disturbance and an injustice” in relation to the call to prayer, broadcast over loud speakers at mosques in the early hours of the morning.

Orange, who has lived in the neighborhood for 15 years, said that the problem has intensified in the last five years after new mosques were built in the nearby neighborhoods of Beit Hanina and Shuafat both on the top of hill crests and in valleys, creating an echo affect that magnifies the noise.

“People have to get their rest. We are not against Muslims, Jews, or Christians, but no-one should be allowed to make such a loud noise so early in the morning,” said Orange.

He noted that the problem was particularly acute in the summer since those without air conditioning need to keep their windows open to keep their bedrooms cool, but that this obviously amplifies the noise of the call to prayer which starts at four o’clock in the morning.

“The noise erupts through the quiet of the morning, children wake up, it’s a terrible injustice,” he said..

Tzvika Yungreiss is another activist in Pisgat Ze’ev trying to bring an end to the nightly disturbances of the call to prayer, and like Orange, insists that there is no religious or political motivation in the demands of neighborhood residents to quieten the call to prayer.

He noted that he had double glazed the bedroom of his son to try and keep out the noise, but that the call to prayer can still be heard very loudly regardless.

Yungreiss also claimed that mosques use extremely powerful loud-speakers which are unnecessarily loud, and that children in the neighborhood have suffered from a lack of concentration in school due to their sleep being disturbed so early in the morning.

He said, however, that the existing Law for the Prevention of Nuisances which prohibits making an unreasonably loud noise is applicable to mosques and places of religious worship, and that the police could demand that mosques reduce the volume of the call to prayer under the terms of this law.

“As long as the current law is not enforced by the police, I am in favor of the new law which would be a water-tight solution to the problem,” Yungreiss said.

In a letter to Justice Minister and chair of the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, MK Youssef Jabarin of the Joint List, also pointed out that the Law for the Prevention of Nuisances should be sufficient to resolve the problem.

“This is a criminal statute, and anyone violating it can be punished with heavy prison sentences,” wrote Jabarin in the name of all 13 MKs of the Joint List.

Speaking to The Jerusalem Post, Jabarin said that the wording of the new law was “extremist” and said that in light of the existing law, the party views Yogev’s law as “a provocation” and “persecution of the Arab population.”

“The problem could also be resolved through dialogue and agreement, but all the right-wing wants to do is create a provocation,” Jabarin told the Post.

Yogev’s office denied this claim, saying that numerous efforts have been made in the past three years to deal with the issue and to have the current law enforced but that nothing had been done.

“Now the issue has been raised onto the agenda, everyone’s talking about and perhaps now they’ll be some results. If the problem is dealt with before the bill passes its third reading then great, but in the meantime the law will advance,” said a spokesman for Yogev.

He also stated that the law could be amended in committee to apply at the most problematic times of the day, between eleven o’clock at night and six o’clock in the morning.

Amnon Be’eri-Sulitzeanu, Co-Executive Director of the Abraham Fund coexistence group, said that excessive noise pollution was a problem, but like Jabarin said that the existing law should be used to resolve the issue.

“Because there is already legislation in place, and it will in effect only apply to the Muslim community, it looks like this bill was designed to antagonize people,” he said.

“Existing tensions between Jews and Arabs are already problematic and loaded enough, and it is very unwise to charge these tensions further with this dimension of religious conflict.

“Relations between Jews and Arabs in mixed areas and cities need dialogue and inclusive policies, and issues of friction cannot be solved by legislation that will hurt the fabric of relations between [different] groups.”