The shape of things to come....

[M_B]

A criminal act? if these people were rounded up and placed in front of the courts (in the same way that neo nazi skinheads preaching death to jews would be) then presumably neither you or the vast majority of muslims would object?

Well personally I believe in freedom of speech as I just stated so I'd prefer it if organized protests did just that. Defining what is free speech and what isn't is a tricky subject.

[gingerjedi]

Obviously not if they are British. Do you think that represents the feeling of the majority of British born muslims ? If not, what do you think it does represent ?

Well I doubt it's the moderates that are being so insistent on inflicting their way of life on the indigenous population.

Of course it doesn't represent the majority, I think it represents a bunch of ill educated religious zealot’s hell bent on converting the world to their way of thinking by any means necessary.

[DodgyAgent]

I'm saying muslims should be allowed to call for prayer.

A.

I want my freedom to enjoy peace and quiet without that awful din banged out by mosques all day.

[sasguru]

This is quite frankly ridiculous.

We have had a bunch of people say they don't want some people screaming "COME AND PRAY NOW" through a loudspeakers and it has degenerated into a holier than thou preach from the PC members of the board who seem to think that not wanting to hear somebody shout come and pray is racist and xeonphobic behaviour.

No wonder the country is in such a bloody mess. At no point has anybody said that muslims should not be free to pray to thier god and worship thier god. At no point has anybody said that muslims cannot have thier religious festivals.

The only thing that has been said is that we don't want them ramming thier religion in our faces and that we don't want them shouting about it over a loudspeaker. (I also want those nutters that preach about jesus through a microphone in the middle of <insert nearest major town to you here> locked up and told not to do it.)

To everybody who has turned this into a stupid PC fight, hinted at racism and made out that those of us who don't want to hear this are being unreasonable, go buy yourself some hippie glasses, hug a tree and sod off. It is people like you who are helping the BNP increase thier membership and it may well be because of you that they eventually become a party that ios seen as legitimate and not just a bunch of yobs trying to get a bit of power.

Most sensible post so far. There's no racism about not wanting to hear the wailing of some cult. FWIW in Switzerland the church bells at 6 am annoyed me just as much.

[M_B]

I want my freedom to enjoy peace and quiet without that awful din banged out by mosques all day.

"Residents are opposed to plans to sound the two-minute long call three times a day in the minaret of the Central Mosque."

6 minutes of your day.

[sasguru]

It is interesting how the word racist is used to replace debate. Whilst I believe it is entirely appropriate for the UK to embrace people of mixed religion there are some "red lines" that need enforcing:

Firstly that every citizen swears an oath of allegiance to our head of state, and if called upon to fight in a war they do so (they can still be free to disagree with the Iraq war)

One school curriculum for all

Learn English to the point where we do not need to subsidise translators (or they pay for them)

If they dont like Christianity being our national religion, live with it

If the laws of the land contradict their own religious beliefs (arranged marriage) then go and live somewhere where it is legal to practice your beliefs.

Like children, people need boundaries, and if muslims were forced to live their lives according to our laws and culture, and to respect our traditions then no one would mind if their church belted out calls to prayer.

And whilst so many of you guilt ridden, patronising little nobodies are so praising the muslim faith and extolling its virtues, maybe you can show us all an example of where floods of western immigrants are applying for patriality to a muslim country?

Missed this one. Solid.

[DodgyAgent]

"Residents are opposed to plans to sound the two-minute long call three times a day in the minaret of the Central Mosque."

6 minutes of your day.

They can have 6 seconds and that is it.

Does that also mean atheists can have a daily 6 minute rendition of "get out of church now" ?

[DodgyAgent]

Missed this one. Solid.

I am like a top high jumper SAS, I come in when the bar is very high to snatch victory away from the "also jumping" noddys

[Xenophon]

It is interesting how the word racist is used to replace debate. Whilst I believe it is entirely appropriate for the UK to embrace people of mixed religion there are some "red lines" that need enforcing:

Firstly that every citizen swears an oath of allegiance to our head of state, and if called upon to fight in a war they do so (they can still be free to disagree with the Iraq war)

One school curriculum for all

Learn English to the point where we do not need to subsidise translators (or they pay for them)

If they dont like Christianity being our national religion, live with it

If the laws of the land contradict their own religious beliefs (arranged marriage) then go and live somewhere where it is legal to practice your beliefs.

Like children, people need boundaries, and if muslims were forced to live their lives according to our laws and culture, and to respect our traditions then no one would mind if their church belted out calls to prayer.

And whilst so many of you guilt ridden, patronising little nobodies are so praising the muslim faith and extolling its virtues, maybe you can show us all an example of where floods of western immigrants are applying for patriality to a muslim country?

Lots of heat in this thread and I like that. I also like this post by DA.

[M_B]

They can have 6 seconds and that is it.

Does that also mean atheists can have a daily 6 minute rendition of "get out of church now" ?

Well at least you came round to the idea. Its a start.