Tomas Samuel’s analysis holds true not just for the call to prayer in Sweden, but all over the West.

“Ex-Imam about Muslim prayer call: ‘Shows power and control over the country,'” translated from “Ex-imam om muslimska böneutrop: ‘Visar på makt och kontroll över landet,'” by Anna Ernius, Samtiden, February 23, 2018:

ISLAM. A mosque in Växsjö has applied for a prayer call. This has aroused debate, not least since Bishop Fredrik Modeus said he welcomed the Muslim proclamation…

This motivated former Imam Tomas Samuel to explain what the prayer call stands for.

The imam of the mosque in Växsjö also compared the Muslim call to prayer with church bells as an argument for getting the prayer call approved.

Bishop Fredrik Modeus has received harsh words after his statement that he welcomes the application for the Muslim prayer call, and hoped to hear both church bells and prayer calls in Växjö.

“I think that many of those who have spoken this way have a real fear of what’s unfamiliar.

“That fear I respect, but I do not think that the way forward is to prevent others from exercising their religion,” said the bishop to the newspaper Dagen.

Tomas Samuel, a Christian apologist and former Imam, therefore, wants to provide knowledge of what the prayer call stands for.

“By going to the Islamic sources, we can get a foundation that can help decision makers make the right decision,” he says.

“What we discover is that the prayer call states that everyone should submit to Islam, and proclaims power over the area of the ​​prayer.

Tomas Samuel writes that at first glance it may seem that church bells and prayer calls are the same, but that this is a logical error.

“Church bells are not a confession, it’s just a musical sound. They are not trying to assert power and control over the country. In addition, most churches do not use the bells, several do not even have any.”

“The difference is obvious,” writes Tomas Samuel.

The prayer call is called “Adhan” in Arabic and means “information, enlightenment.”

“The prayer call comes for essentially two reasons: it will remind people of when it is time to pray, and the prayer call will proclaim Islam over a city,” according to Tomas Samuel.

“At that time there were no alarm clocks. As the Muslim population increased in number, there was a real need to remind people of the different prayer times.”

“But that need hardly exists today, because we have wristwatches and clocks on the walls and in our mobile phones.

He quotes “Omdat Al-Ahkam”, one of the most important books for Islamic law:

“Adhan is a very important ritual in the religious practice of Islam, one can liken it to the Muslim flag. Its proclamation shows that the people of the city are Muslims.”

“It is also important for the proclamation of the word of Allah, thus manifesting the religion of Allah (Islam).”

“The prayer call begins with giving thanks by proclaiming ‘Allahu akbar,’ to show that Allah is the greatest and that everything and everyone should bow to Allah and Islam. The Islamic profession of faith is the second part of the prayer call (‘There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger.'”

“This confirms Islam and proclaims it (Islam) across the country.”

“The prayer call should be done by a man who has a beautiful voice.”

“Women are not allowed to raise their voices, because a woman’s voice could mean a temptation for men,” continues Tomas Samuel.

“The prayer call should be done with a loud voice. There is promise of a reward from Allah for a loud voice that reaches as far as possible.”

“The prayer call will take place at the exact time of the five prayers.”

Tomas Samuel believes that the Växsjö mosque’s application for a prayer call is only the beginning.

“Many other mosques will make the same request, not only to have the prayer call twice a week, but five times a day.”

He emphasizes that everybody is free to believe how he wants.

“But your freedom ends when my starts. One of the simplest rights is that no one should be forced to listen to a creed he does not believe in,” he writes.