Those progressive Europeans.

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by Fast_Eddie

As I understand it, the minarets in question are rarely used as an actual call to prayer. All the same, if you were to outlaw their use for that purpose I would think you'd have to do the same for us Catholics.

So why do you need the bells, no clock?

Oh I know there is a whole musical thing devoted to bell ringing and carrillons do sound nice, but much of it is simply done for historical reasons.

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

No case? Not only does the immigration office require certain things (like a reason), but a GREAT video came out, showed the guy at a fundraiser calling Jews monkeys and pigs. Charming, caring guy that one

No, not a nice guy, but no case either. Calling Jews monkeys and pigs is certainly reprehensible but it isn't a crime.

If there were any substance to the terrorism accusations he would have been tried. If found guilty he would have been sentenced and imprisoned. Since none of that happened, it's safe to conclude that there was no case.

He was deported because he was deemed "undesirable". Deportation was second best to imprisonment.

There have been a number of cases where similar accusations have been leveled at Muslims. I can think of two in New York, one in New Jersey and one in Florida.

The two New York and the one New Jersey resulted in speedy trials and convictions, although the evidence in these cases was less than stellar.

The Florida case is really interesting. You should read up on it. The defendant is named Sami al Arian. He got royally screwed and he's still getting screwed.

John

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sami_Al-Arian

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by Fast_Eddie

As I understand it, the minarets in question are rarely used as an actual call to prayer. All the same, if you were to outlaw their use for that purpose I would think you'd have to do the same for us Catholics.

And cows! Don't forget those Swiss cowbells!

John

[finnbow]

We, as Americans, may be reading into this a bit. We are a nation of immigrants and take pride in our diversity (to a fault sometimes). European countries (and Asian countries, for that matter) are fairly homogeneous when it comes to ethnic background, religion and culture and (rightly or wrongly) want to preserve their cultural heritage/identity. Culturally, the French want to remain French, the Germans German and the Swiss Swiss. Accordingly, they feel more threatened culturally than we do with the Muslims among them. Conversely, we probably feel more threatened by Muslims as a terrorist threat, not as a cultural threat.

Hell, the Germans are spooked by Scientology. For the most part, we see it as a harmless cult and laugh it off, while at the same time protecting it.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by merrylander

So why do you need the bells, no clock?

Oh I know there is a whole musical thing devoted to bell ringing and carrillons do sound nice, but much of it is simply done for historical reasons.

The local Baptist Church started playing patriotic music on their electronic bell system at the start of Gulf War II. Somehow, I don't find playing "The Caissons Go Rolling Along" as an appropriate tune for the House of the Lord.

Chas

[merrylander]

Speaking as an immigrant (it's OK I did it all legally) I do not expect to demand that I be allowed to use the Napoleonic Code as civil law because that was the case in Quebec, or British Criminal Code. I agreed to observe and follow the laws of the land. That, to me, is the way it should be otherwise I should have stayed where I was. Now if that is too much to ask of other people who come here then let them stay out.

We had some serious problems locally in NoVa with Saudi sponsored schools and the crap they were teaching in their schools, it still is not certain the the schoolbooks have been totally cleansed of the hatred they were teaching.

[BlueStreak]

I used to love hearing the church bells when I was a kid in Ohio. That and the steam whistle that signalled shift changes at the local steel mill. Sadly, most of the bells, and the whistle (Along with the rest of the mill.) fell silent a couple decades ago.

Dave

[merrylander]

Where I grew up there were four villages divided by the Richelieu River and the CN rail tracks. There was a level crossing in the village next to ours so the engines (steam) would give the four note crossing warning. There was a freight that would go through about 5:00 AM, they said it was responsible for more babies than any natural cause - too early to get up, too late to go back to sleep.

Across the river was a lumber yard, the old fashioned kind where a single donkey engine drove everything with overhead belts - OSHA would have had a fit. But most days you could hear that old donkey engine and how its single cylinder would misfire every twenty seconds or so.

Then there was the old Scot who loved to practice his pipes of an evening, they wafted over the fields. In the late evening as it was time to get home my Mother would call - cell phones? we did not need any stinkin cell phones - ah the sounds of my youth.

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by Fast_Eddie

As I understand it, the minarets in question are rarely used as an actual call to prayer. All the same, if you were to outlaw their use for that purpose I would think you'd have to do the same for us Catholics.

They already have, in Egypt to build a Christian church you need a security permit and there is no display of the cross or any other symbol allowed. In Saudi Arabia you simply cannot build one. Oddly enough in Saddam's Iraq there were churches and christians.

So to the muslims in Switzerland "Before you see to the speck in thy brother's eye, remove the beam that is in thine."

[piece-itpete]

Originally Posted by merrylander

So to the muslims in Switzerland "Before you see to the speck in thy brother's eye, remove the beam that is in thine."

Heathen!!

I grew up down the street from a church with a large number of (real) bells. To this day I can remember them marking the 1/4, 1/2, and hour with that little tune.

Very pleasant. The day I hear PA speakers squawking out 'uulululululu' is the day I'll...

Do something . Start a petition drive?

Pete