bibek

One West Bengal poet once ridiculed the calling of adhan in his poem
in these derogatory words, 'barking of a doglike muezzin facing the
sky with the mouth wide open in order to bite Allah or Ishwar'. Taking
lesson from this type of Hindu fanatic poet, an atheist, Islam-bashing
poet of Bangladesh Shamsur Rahman compared the calling of adhan to
that of a street prostitute looking for customers.

Atheist Professor-cum-novelist Humayun Azad, once arriving in
Calcutta, commented, "I feel good after coming to Calcutta. I am not
awakened here by the sound of adhan anymore in the morning.

When some female students of Dhaka University, on the hearing the
adhan during a class session, covered their heads they were ridiculed
by the teacher with these words - "Is Allah your husband's elder
brother so that you cover heads on hearing the adhan?"

When adhan was overheard during the progress of a commemoration
program, secular journalist Faiz Ahmed was requested by the audience
to adjourn his speech and resume after the prayer. At that, the
infuriated speaker spoke in the microphone -- "Now I see that the
religious hypocracy over observing silence during the utterance of
adhan has occupied the educated minds."

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Check mosque loudspeakers: Roundtable suggests
DS, Mar 5, 2004

Speakers at a roundtable on the 'Draft Noise Pollution Control Act,
2004' yesterday recommended for bringing the use of loudspeakers in
mosques under the law's purview.

Considering the high density of mosques in the city, they said the
environment and forest ministry should limit the use to tolerable
decibel and covering the mosques' interior only.

Discussants at the roundtable, organised by Bangladesh Paribesh
Andolon (Bapa) at the National Press Club, also proposed for
introducing horns producing melodious sounds for vehicles plying in
the city to relieve the citizens of the harsh and hazardous sounds of
blaring transport horns currently in use.

Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed, a leading environment activist, moderated
the discussion. Among others, Prof Atiur Rahman, a renowned economist,
Prof Naser Ezazul Haque, research official of Bapa, Musfiqur Rahman
Babla, an environmentalist, Prof Nurul Amin, a specialist physician of
ear, nose and throat, and Kazi Rafiqul Alam, executive director of
Ahsania Mission, took part in the brain-storming.