Residents of Hamtramck Michigan are petitioning the City Council to stop a new law allowing the amplified broadcast of the adhan (the Muslim call to prayer) five times a day: Petition to target prayer call law. (Hat tip: Dhimmi Watch.)

Organizers say they are certain they’ll get the required 552 signatures to force the City Council to reverse its April 27 decision.

“There are some people, including Muslims, who don’t want the call to prayer,” said resident Robert Zwolak, 63. “The ballot box is the best place for people to voice their opinion.”

If the campaign gets enough signatures and the council refuses to reverse its decision, the ordinance would be suspended automatically. It would then become a ballot issue, according to the city charter.

But for now, the ordinance, which goes into effect May 26, has created tension mostly between the city’s Muslims and Polish Catholics. It will allow the city’s mosques to say the call to prayer in Arabic five times a day.

Zwolak, one of the petition campaign’s organizers, said it is not anti-Muslim, but an attempt to bring peace back to the city.

“I hope we can succeed in calming people’s feelings down,” he said.

City Councilman Shahab Ahmed said the petition campaign is an effort to revive what was becoming a nonissue.

“Now, it’s going to divide the community more,” he said. “How is it possible to stop someone from calling to prayer? We can stop the noise — not the religion.”

Here’s a translation of the Arabic language call to prayer; I imagine that if a similar group of statements from a Christian church were amplified throughout the neighborhood five times daily, the ACLU would probably have to get involved…

The adhan consists of seven standard elements: The Adhan and Iqama.

Allah is great, Allah is great
Allah is great, Allah is great

I bear witness there is no deity but Allah
I bear witness there is no deity but Allah

I bear witness that Muhammad (pbuh) is the Messenger of Allah
I bear witness that Muhammad (pbuh) is the Messenger of Allah

Hurry to the prayer
Hurry to the prayer

Hurry to the success
Hurry to the success

Allah is great, Allah is great

There is no deity but Allah