[merrylander]

Recently even in their own countries the "call to prayer" has become a contest to see who can come up with the most powerful PA system. Then they hired imams with the best singing voice to tape the call.

I was born at home in midwinter, right across the street was a Catholic church. Now the CN Railroad had given them an old engine bell for their church. I stll remember my mother saying that she said to the dooctor, "If he does not get here soon (meaning me) they will be ringing that darn bell". So if anyone knows when they ring matins that was the hour of my birth.
Calls to prayer, rining bells, it can all get quickly out of hand. That sort of thing was fine in the agrarian days when few people had clocks or wrist watches, hardly necessary now.