Monday, March 27, 2006
All-Too-Familiar Tune: Ringtones in Mosques
[via Virtually Islamic http://virtuallyislamic.blogspot.com/]
JEDDAH, 27 March 2006 — As Dhuhr prayer commences, the imam calls the devoted to stand in line and fill any gaps between them. The mosque is a near-perfect atmosphere for peaceful, quiet self-reflection and piety. Suddenly the ambience of the holy place is shattered by the hip-hop beats of Los Angeles rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg. The worshippers turn their head to look at the offender. Tsk-tsk. Once again somebody didn’t turn off his cell phone!
“There is no hope for them,” says Khaled Muhammad, imam of a mosque in Jeddah’s Al-Rawdah neighborhood. “I warn them time and time again against bringing mobile phones inside mosques. If these people were meeting with their company boss they would turn off their phones. Why is it when they’re meeting with God they don’t extend the same courtesy?”
Khaled Muhammad told Arab News that he has given up on trying to curb the sounds of pop music that pop up during prayer, choosing simply to ignore the annoyance and hope that fights don’t break out.
This mini-drama plays out day in and day out in mosques across the Kingdom, and imams like Khaled Muhammad find themselves in a constant fight against disrespectful mobile owners. And this fight is sometimes taken over by other Muslims inside the mosque, which can occasionally lead to fisticuffs.
Syed Abdul Razzaq, an Egyptian who attends the mosque in Al-Rawdah where Khaled Muhammad leads prayers, said that he has witnessed many confrontations inside the mosque, verbal and otherwise.
“One time, about a minute into Asr prayer, one of the phones started ringing with some loud music. The man did nothing. The music continued to break the silence inside the mosque over and over again for about three minutes, all the way through the prayer. Afterward, people were just glaring at the rude man. He didn’t seem to care. His phone rang again and, this time, he answered it.”
Then, according to Abdul Razzaq, some old-timers took it upon themselves to teach the man a lesson in manners.
“Some elderly men didn’t like his behavior and began shouting at the man. The imam at the time was trying to calm the hostile situation, but he couldn’t do anything about it at that point. Four people ganged up on the guy and began beating him right there inside the mosque. They took his mobile phone and threw it against the floor, shattering it.”
Complaints from imams are increasing. They say despite warnings and posted signs at mosque entrances people are simply not respecting the sanctity of the mosque. The problem has even led to lengthy Friday sermons during which the faithful are told to switch off their phones.
Arguments and confrontations like the one described by Abdul Razzaq seem to be commonplace. More respectful worshippers get offended at the smaller group of careless individuals, thus creating a division inside the mosque that can lead to cursing and arguments.
Abu Ahmad, from Jeddah, said that his mosque’s directors considered installing a wireless device that impedes mobile signals, but they ruled it out after learning that these same devices can interfere with pacemakers in people with heart ailments.
“I hate mobile phones because of what I see every single day in the mosque,” said Ahmad.
“I’ve seen the mobile ringtones confuse worshippers and even the imam himself. There’s no point in leaving mobile phones on while praying because you’re not going to answer it.”
Some mosques, such as the one in Madinah visited recently by Arab News, are taking a more deliberate approach by using doormen to search people as they enter. Some attendees complain that this method makes the mosque feel like a wedding hall, where doormen are often used to make sure nobody enters with camera phones.
Hashim Al-Emam, who attends the Madinah mosque, approved of this method. “I think it’s a good idea,” he said. “If verbal warnings and signs are not clear enough for these people then a major step should be taken to end it with force.”
One incident relayed to Arab News by a worshipper in Madinah that took place in a mosque in Riyadh helps to illustrate the ubiquitous nature of this problem. One of the old men in the mosque volunteered to give a lecture on the importance of turning off mobile phones in mosques. While giving the lecture, his mobile started playing this all-too-familiar tune. Embarrassed, the old man said this illustrated another point: That often a ringing mobile phone inside a mosque is a matter of forgetfulness rather than overt disrespect.
JEDDAH, 27 March 2006 — As Dhuhr prayer commences, the imam calls the devoted to stand in line and fill any gaps between them. The mosque is a near-perfect atmosphere for peaceful, quiet self-reflection and piety. Suddenly the ambience of the holy place is shattered by the hip-hop beats of Los Angeles rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg. The worshippers turn their head to look at the offender. Tsk-tsk. Once again somebody didn’t turn off his cell phone!
“There is no hope for them,” says Khaled Muhammad, imam of a mosque in Jeddah’s Al-Rawdah neighborhood. “I warn them time and time again against bringing mobile phones inside mosques. If these people were meeting with their company boss they would turn off their phones. Why is it when they’re meeting with God they don’t extend the same courtesy?”
Khaled Muhammad told Arab News that he has given up on trying to curb the sounds of pop music that pop up during prayer, choosing simply to ignore the annoyance and hope that fights don’t break out.
This mini-drama plays out day in and day out in mosques across the Kingdom, and imams like Khaled Muhammad find themselves in a constant fight against disrespectful mobile owners. And this fight is sometimes taken over by other Muslims inside the mosque, which can occasionally lead to fisticuffs.
Syed Abdul Razzaq, an Egyptian who attends the mosque in Al-Rawdah where Khaled Muhammad leads prayers, said that he has witnessed many confrontations inside the mosque, verbal and otherwise.
“One time, about a minute into Asr prayer, one of the phones started ringing with some loud music. The man did nothing. The music continued to break the silence inside the mosque over and over again for about three minutes, all the way through the prayer. Afterward, people were just glaring at the rude man. He didn’t seem to care. His phone rang again and, this time, he answered it.”
Then, according to Abdul Razzaq, some old-timers took it upon themselves to teach the man a lesson in manners.
“Some elderly men didn’t like his behavior and began shouting at the man. The imam at the time was trying to calm the hostile situation, but he couldn’t do anything about it at that point. Four people ganged up on the guy and began beating him right there inside the mosque. They took his mobile phone and threw it against the floor, shattering it.”
Complaints from imams are increasing. They say despite warnings and posted signs at mosque entrances people are simply not respecting the sanctity of the mosque. The problem has even led to lengthy Friday sermons during which the faithful are told to switch off their phones.
Arguments and confrontations like the one described by Abdul Razzaq seem to be commonplace. More respectful worshippers get offended at the smaller group of careless individuals, thus creating a division inside the mosque that can lead to cursing and arguments.
Abu Ahmad, from Jeddah, said that his mosque’s directors considered installing a wireless device that impedes mobile signals, but they ruled it out after learning that these same devices can interfere with pacemakers in people with heart ailments.
“I hate mobile phones because of what I see every single day in the mosque,” said Ahmad.
“I’ve seen the mobile ringtones confuse worshippers and even the imam himself. There’s no point in leaving mobile phones on while praying because you’re not going to answer it.”
Some mosques, such as the one in Madinah visited recently by Arab News, are taking a more deliberate approach by using doormen to search people as they enter. Some attendees complain that this method makes the mosque feel like a wedding hall, where doormen are often used to make sure nobody enters with camera phones.
Hashim Al-Emam, who attends the Madinah mosque, approved of this method. “I think it’s a good idea,” he said. “If verbal warnings and signs are not clear enough for these people then a major step should be taken to end it with force.”
One incident relayed to Arab News by a worshipper in Madinah that took place in a mosque in Riyadh helps to illustrate the ubiquitous nature of this problem. One of the old men in the mosque volunteered to give a lecture on the importance of turning off mobile phones in mosques. While giving the lecture, his mobile started playing this all-too-familiar tune. Embarrassed, the old man said this illustrated another point: That often a ringing mobile phone inside a mosque is a matter of forgetfulness rather than overt disrespect.
# posted by Unknown : Monday, March 27, 2006
