Calls to summon Muslims to prayer were broadcast over loudspeakers for the first time ever in Sweden this past Friday on April 26th at the Fittja Mosque in the Stockholm municipality of Botkyrka.  The Islamic call to prayer (adhan), resonating from the towering 104-foot (32-meter) minaret, began with the ear-shattering "Allahu Akbar" (Allah is Great) and was followed by the Shahada, the Muslim declaration of faith: "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah".  Every Friday, people from as far as two kilometers away will be subjected to hear what U.S. President Obama called "one of the prettiest sounds on earth". This is what Swedes in the Stockholm municipality of Botkyrka will have to get used to, now that the decision rendered by the Botkyrka Municipal Assembly and authorized by the Botkyrka Police to approve the public call to worship, has taken effect.  Whether or not Swedes find it offensive, loud, or disruptive, they have no choice...(Read Full Post)