Atrios has a post on religion. In a nutshell, Atrios says:

I'm a bit fed up with people hand-wringing about anti-religious sentiment from "the Left." First of all, "the Left" which has any clout or power in this country is explicitly "pro-religion" to a degree which disturbs me.

We're also disturbed by the increased import of religion into today's culture and politics. Specifically, here's what we're pondering. The Hamtramck, Michigan City Council has given preliminary approval to a resolution that would allow mosques to broadcast muslim calls to prayers over loudspeakers five times a day--so long as none were broadcast before 6am or after 10pm.

The controversy centered on noise pollution and religious freedom and tolerance. Those opposed to the measure said they didn't want Islamic beliefs imposed upon them. The prayer, which is in Arabic, occurs five times a day between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Supporters said the issue is an Islamic tradition. They cited the city's church bells, which ring at least every hour, as comparable.

The the Al-Islah Islamic Center says Michigan is just the first--and certainly won't be the last city to adopt their request.

This got us to thinking. Why do we have to listen any religious messages, whether it be "Allah is Great" or a Christian message when we are outdoors? What gives these groups the right to intrude on our listening space? What ever happened to honoring peace and quiet and having the oppportunity to be lost in one's own thoughts?

Think of how many times you've wanted to strangle the person next to you on the bus or train or plane who was talking loudly about nothing into their cell phone while you wanted to read your book in quiet. Or at a restaurant. Or on a mountain hike. Or on a chairlift.

To us, the issue isn't religion at all. It's freedom in our own airspace. Airspace is public. Why should anyone have the right to repeatedly make a sound so loud it can be heard by everyone within 1,000 yards? What if everyone decides to do it?

But, since the topic is religious noises--bells and calls to Allah, all of a sudden we have to be more polite and tread more carefully so as not to step on any one religion's freedom of choice. We're not happy about it. We think the answer is that no religion should be broadcasting through speakers into the public domain in a way that forces others to hear about their religion.