Spring Sunday morning, it was warm and so I left the window open through the night. I had set an alarm for the morning, but I was woke up by the bell from a church not far away before it could set off. While taking my routine morning coffee, I realized muezzin and church's bell were doing the same thing to me : tell me the hour of the day. But I rather listen to bell ringing than muezzin singing, why?
I know the call of the muezzin is an artform and they are not anybody, they are selected. But no matter how skilled the singer is, good equipment is essential too. But judging from many calls of prayer I heard in Malaysia, many were using crappy sound system. So may be the people who plan or manage mosques should start to invest a little more in sound system, better microphones, better loudspeakers, etc..
While I was in Malaysia, I disliked the call of muezzin. Now I kinda miss it. The reason I hated it was because the first call of muezzin was so early in the morning that it was like my annoying alarm clock, and people woke up by alarm clock were often grumpy. Here in France, I am woke up by a ringing bell, and honestly it is less annoying. Plus houses in France normally have thick insulating windows, the sound of the bell is reduced to the minimum when they are shut.
I think the morning call of muezzin should be turned down a bit. The morning call certainly has good intention for not only muslims but also non-muslims, because me as a morning person myself now, I understand the benefits of waking up early in the morning, the awesome feeling of rising together with the Sun. But unlike ancient times, not everyone of us are farmers. Some have night jobs and have to sleep during daylight. As a non-muslim myself, I treat the call of prayer as a song. Just like any other song, and since people have vast variety of taste in music, while some might find it peaceful and relaxing, certainly some would find it annoying and nerve-racking.
Religions need to evolve and adapt.
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