A ban on saying prayers in the street, a practice by French Muslims unable to find space in mosques, has come into effect in the capital, Paris.
Interior Minister Claude Gueant has offered believers the use of a disused fire brigade barracks instead.
The phenomenon of street prayers, which see Muslims spreading mats on footpaths, became a political issue after far right protests.
About ten years ago or so, there was an article in the Washington Post about Muslim taxi cab drivers at Reagan National Airport being giving special dispensations so that they could interupt their availablity for cab service at the prescribed prayer times.
I am almost certain that no other religion would have been given the preferential treatment that was given to those Muslim taxi cab drivers.
Actually, I beleive that there would have been an outcry from the ‘anti-religionists’ if such preferential treatment had been given to any other religious group.
Praying in the street like that would not be safe either. It sounds like the street prayer thing is an attention getting thing and not truly dedicated prayer to God. If they tried it here, they better be praying to God that our drivers don’t mistake them for speedbumps.
wasn’t there an article not too long ago where the Muslim ‘street teams’ demanded France turn over Notre Dame and other cathedrals to them so they could get off the street?
I know nothing about the politics of this issue.
But I do seem to remember a story somewhere about this guy whose enemies made a law that said he wasn’t allowed to pray to his God like he had always done. Somehow the law didn’t deter him. In fact, he started praying so that anyone could see him. Of course he was arrested and thrown to the lions. But God protected him.
I can’t remember where I heard that, but it seems like a good story to reflect on when the government forbids people to pray.
#4, was the man in that story preventing others from going about their businesses by blocking the streets?