Duke reverses plan to allow Islamic call to prayer from campus chapel

[Miles Archer]

Source: WRAL

Durham, N.C. — Two days after announcing that Islamic students would be broadcasting a weekly call to prayer from the Duke Chapel bell tower, Duke University officials abandoned that plan Thursday, citing the furor the move had created.

Members of the Duke Muslim Students Association were supposed to start the three-minute weekly call or chant, known as adhan or azan, on Friday afternoon. Now, the call to prayer will take place in a quad outside the chapel.

“Duke remains committed to fostering an inclusive, tolerant and welcoming campus for all of its students,” Michael Schoenfeld, Duke's vice president for public affairs and government relations, said in a statement. “However, it was clear that what was conceived as an effort to unify was not having the intended effect.”

Franklin Graham, the son of evangelist Rev. Billy Graham and the head of the international relief organization Samaritan's Purse, on Wednesday blasted Duke's decision to allow Islamic prayers from the bell tower. In a post on his Facebook page, he said followers of Islam are "butchering" people who don't share their beliefs.

Read more: http://www.wral.com/duke-reverses-plan-to-allow-islamic-call-to-prayer-from-campus-chapel/14359650/

[upaloopa]

1. Mark Twain understood this problem a long time ago.

Man is the Reasoning Animal. Such is the claim. I think it is open to dispute. Indeed, my experiments have proven to me that he is the Unreasoning Animal . . . In truth, man is incurably foolish. Simple things which other animals easily learn, he is incapable of learning. Among my experiments was this. In an hour I taught a cat and a dog to be friends. I put them in a cage. In another hour I taught them to be friends with a rabbit. In the course of two days I was able to add a fox, a goose, a squirrel and some doves. Finally a monkey. They lived together in peace; even affectionately. Next, in another cage I confined an Irish Catholic from Tipperary, and as soon as he seemed tame I added a Scotch Presbyterian from Aberdeen. Next a Turk from Constantinople; a Greek Christian from Crete; an Armenian; a Methodist from the wilds of Arkansas; a Buddhist from China; a Brahman from Benares. Finally, a Salvation Army Colonel from Wapping. Then I stayed away for two whole days. When I came back to note results, the cage of Higher Animals was all right, but in the other there was but a chaos of gory odds and ends of turbans and fezzes and plaids and bones and flesh-not a specimen left alive. These Reasoning Animals had disagreed on a theological detail and carried the matter to a Higher Court.

[chrisa]

2. Not appropriate. I agree.

Imagine if these were Christian prayers - it's just as wrong. If you want to pray, keep it to yourself.

It's rich that Billy Graham is sniveling over this, though. If these were Christian prayers, he would be calling Duke a "Fascist Liberal" college for not allowing them. What a knob.

[tblue37]

38. When a church rings its bells before a service, it is also a call to prayer.

The call to prayer is just that--the *call* to prayer, not the prayer or the worship service, though it does include the "Allah is great " and the statement that there is no god but Allah and that Mohammed is his prophet. But those are statements of belief, not actually *prayers."

[brooklynite]

63. How many churches ring their bells prior to services?

The Catholic Church across the street rings their bells daily at noon and 6 PM, regardless of what;s scheduled.

[csziggy]

44. Duke University is a private research university - why the hell is it not appropriate?

It was started by religious groups (Methodists and Quakers), and they have an immense chapel on the campus that provides religious services as well as playing religious music on their carillon every day. The Duke Chapel was already holding weekly prayer sessions:

Jummah prayers have taken place in the basement of Duke Chapel for many years, and start with the traditional call to prayer chant. Members of the Muslim community will now gather for the call-to-prayer chant on the quadrangle outside the Chapel, a site of frequent interfaith programs and activities, before moving to its regular location for prayers. More than 700 of Duke’s 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students identify as Muslim.
https://today.duke.edu/2015/01/callchange

If the current university administration wants to expand the variety of religions they cater to they certainly have every right to do so.

I applaud their efforts at inclusiveness and I am sorry they were intimidated by religious bigots.

[MFrohike]

57. Huh?

Duke is a Methodist school. I don't get how the offering of ANY prayers at the Duke Chapel should be considered wrong.

It's Duke's ball and they can take it home if they want, but I don't see a point in genuflecting to a lowlife like Franklin Graham.

[pangaia]

3. If any more proof that this guy

is an ignorant, untutored, hate filled bigot, I don't know what it wold be.
He makes his delusional father look.... almost normal.

[YarnAddict]

10. Really?

And what would your reaction be if a Christian group wanted university-sanctioned prayer meetings?

[pangaia]

28. It is not so much that he is against the idea.

It is everything behind it. the rest of what he says and thinks that I find self-centered, self-righteous and close minded.

The man disgusts me.

[YarnAddict]

32. Okay

Not against the opinion, just against the person. Makes perfect sense.

[pangaia]

34. Noooo, that is not what I said.

[csziggy]

45. They already do have Christian prayer meetings

In fact they have been having Muslim prayer meetings for some years. See my post above with the appropriate information.

Duke University is a PRIVATE university. It was founded by religious groups. They are simply extending their tolerance to addition religious groups in their university chapel.

[NaturalHigh]

4. Matthew 6:6

"But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you."

[7962]

7. Excellent.

[bluestateguy]

5. Good for them

They want to pray to their imaginary "Allah" in the sky, they can do so without demanding that other people be bothered by it.

[KamaAina]

6. Dude. In a mosque, the muezzin givces the call to prayer from the minaret.

The bell tower is the closest thing Duke has to a minaret.

[christx30]

8. If someone really wants it,

they can go to a place with a predominantly Muslim population that wants the same thing. But at Duke, you're going to have Christians and Jews and Hindis and Athiests all on the same land that don't want to hear those calls.

[KamaAina]

16. What about the mosque on East 96th St. in Manhattan?

Do you think everyone who walks down East 96th or Third Ave. is Muslim?

[christx30]

21. I"m sure of there were people that were there

before the mosque was built that had a problem with it would have complained about it. But if my neighbor decided to just start up with it tomorrow, I'd have a problem with it. It's not what I signed up for when I rented my house. And I would fight them in court to get them to stop. But if it was happening already when I moved in, I knew what I was getting into. I'm glad the university decided not to subject all students to the sounds.

[Fearless]

22. You have no right to tell your neighbor they can't build a mosque

Just because you don't like it and it's "not what you signed up for".

Everyone has the freedom of religion. EVERYONE.

NO ONE however has the right to tell others that they cannot worship in their own ways, ways that I might add aren't hurting anyone.

This sort of religious fundamentalism has no place in democratic society!

[christx30]

25. If that mosque is violating noise ordinances,

you bet your butt I have the right to prevent him from doing that. It's a residental neighborhood. He'd call the police if I was blasting Metallica from my room 5 times a day. If he wants to build a mosque, he build it in a place that's zoned correctly.

[Fearless]

27. No mosque anywhere is violating noise ordinances!

Likewise how could it be, if it hadn't been built yet?! And likewise, when did this supposed mosque that doesn't exist have anything to do with ringing church bells (which is what they're designed to do!)?

[christx30]

33. I was talking about my neighbor in a residential neighborhood.

If he decided to build a mosque and put a daily call to prayer over loudspeakers, I and the rest of the neighborhood would have a problem with it. It's a quiet street, and we like it that way. If he wants to worship in his home, he can do so, no problem. If he wants to worship elsewhere, that's up to him. If he wants to broadcast the Adhan to everyone in a 3 block radias, everyone would have a problem with it. It's not Islam that we'd have a problem with. It's the noise. I make my dogs stop barking. I stop my kids from screaming their heads off at every Batman cartoon. Consideration toward one's neighbors is very important.
And if Duke doesn't want to allow it on their campus, it's their decision.

[Fearless]

40. This hypothetical situation doesn't exist and bears no holding to what is actually happening

What is happening is that the school said it would support it's Muslim students. Then it decided not to because of anti-Muslim sentiments on campus. That is shameful. We are supposed to live in a nation of tolerance.

And we're not talking about a rock concert here... we're talking about church bells! Go to any (and nearly EVERY New England town) and stand outside on the hour and listen. I'm not understanding why bells are considered so offensive to you. It's really nonsensical fear.

[Rhinodawg]

47. Exactly...who are we to judge ?

It's arrogant to think one culture is superior to another.

We don't want to offend them.

I'm sue Saudi Arabia would be more than happy to build one of mega-mosques on campus

[Fearless]

49. That's the point. Stop judging people.

No one has the right to tell others how to live their lives. The problem is that some people think it's ok to claim that they're rights are being trampled on by giving others their guaranteed rights. This is pure nonsense. There is room enough for everyone. Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Atheist, Hindu, and so on.

[christx30]

53. It's not fear. It's annoyance.

I don't let loud noises to escape my home and bother my neighbors. I expect the same consideration from them as well.

[Fearless]

54. Do you realize that you can hear cars from inside your house louder than church bells?

This isn't some sort of foghorn air raid warning system. Church bells are NOT that loud!

[csziggy]

48. The Duke Chapel wanted to allow the prayer calls from the same bell tower

That plays a religious carillon every day at 5PM. The Muslim call to prayer was only going to be once a week.

The Duke Chapel and Duke University WANT to provide this for the Muslim students and visitors. It was outcry from outsiders that stopped them from doing so:

But the university's decision was excoriated by Christian groups, and figures such as evangelist Franklin Graham, the son of the Rev. Bill Graham, criticized it on Facebook.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/01/15/377535894/duke-reverses-course-on-muslim-call-to-prayer-from-chapel-bell-tower

In effect the university was terrorized by Christian fundamentalists into reconsidering a plan to be more inclusive.

[Fearless]

51. Exactly!

[YarnAddict]

56. Oooooooh! Christian terrorism!!!

Duck & cover!!!!

[csziggy]

61. I've seen the kind of terrorism some of the Christian cults will use

When they don't get their way. So in this country I am more afraid of Christian terrorism than I am of Islamic terrorism. I wonder what extremes Christian cultists would have gone to if Duke had not backed down.

Duke Chapel had every right to provide this service for the Muslim students who already use their facilities. They were forced not to because of ignorant religious bigots.

As I indicated below, Duke Chapel cooperates with a number of different religious groups. It is their choice to do so.

[YarnAddict]

62. Yes, Christian cults

are well-known for chopping off heads or committing mass murder if they get offended.

Meanwhile: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/isis-militants-throw-gay-man-building-death-article-1.2041416

[csziggy]

66. No, they'd rather blow up clinics that provide women's health care

And shoot doctors in the middle of their church. Killed men and women for being "witches" or beaten them for simply believing other than the official doctrine.

Or tie a gay man to the bumper of their truck and drag him to death. Or hang black men for spurious reasons and leave their bodies hanging from trees. Just because they are "offended" by people's skin color or sexual preference.

Christian cults are a bigger danger in this country and have used their influence to control the behavior of everyone else since the Puritans came to America. Not all Christians are this obnoxious - quite a few have moved into the twenty first century and learned to be tolerant.

Fundamentalists are a danger where ever they might be, no matter what religion they claim to follow. No one fundamentalist cult can claim to be better than another - they are all despicable.

Branding all Muslims offensive for the crimes of Islamic fundamentalists is as bad as labeling all Christians evil for the crimes of Christian fundamentalists.

Which brings me back to the subject of the thread - Duke Chapel has tried to be inclusive and provide religious opportunities for a variety of religions. The Christian fundamentalists who harassed them into changing their plans are offensive to me and should be to reasonable people.

[pangaia]

29. What's your take

on the local church ringing its bells on Sunday morning?

[christx30]

39. Depends on the age of the church.

If it was in place before the neighborhood was, then it's fine. If they just move in and make everyone in listen to it, I have a problem with it.
Personally, I have never heard a church ring it's bells on Sunday morning. I went to a Catholic church when I was a kid. No bells. Just a little music when people opened the door.

[pangaia]

43. My experience is quote a bit different.

[Fearless]

20. Who cares if the bells are wrang?

You're making it out to be some sort of brainwashing voodoo action that will cause all the helpless non-Muslims to start praying to the east or something. This is foolishness!

[christx30]

23. I'm not saying that at all.

I'm saying that people that are not Muslims shouldn't have to listen to it if they don't want to. And the bells have been ringing there probably since the school opened. Anyone that works there or attends, at one point, decided that the bells were fine, or at least not a deal breaker when they decided to apply or attend. The Adhan is a new thing. It's not what most of the population signed up for.

[Fearless]

26. Acually funny thing is people don't need approval to practice their religion.

Freedom of Religion is not up for a vote. Civil rights are guaranteed, regardless of what others think. Likewise, because someone may feel offended is not a reason for someone to stop practicing their religion.

[christx30]

41. I'm not saying don't worship.

I'm saying don't blast out your prayers for the whole neighborhood to hear.
I love music. I don't want Aerosmith blasting out of my neighbor's house at 3am.

[Fearless]

42. Who's blasting anything??

Church bells chiming is hardly burdensome! As I said, seriously go to any New England town and stand outside on the hour and you'll hear one if not several sets of bells ringing. What about town meeting bells? Many towns do this still to call town meetings. What about fire warning bells? It's all the same thing and none of it actually harms anyone.

What about an ice cream truck? I'm lactose intolerant. Should I be mortally offended when I hear them chiming up and down the street. Frankly they attract more attention of impressionable youth than church bells ever will.

[pangaia]

30. Wrang? Is that a word? :>))

I with you, I am.
Just messin' wit ya.

[Fearless]

35. I wrang my hands over the word choice I'll have you know

[pangaia]

36. I believe you.

[tblue37]

46. Bells are rung (past participle of "ring"). Hands are wrung (past participle of "wring").

And while I am at it, ornaments are hung on a tree, but to carry out a death sentence, a man used to be "hanged by his neck until dead." To say a man is hung would be a compliment, not a death sentence.


BTW, mops are wrung out, too. The principal parts of "ring" = ring-rang-rung. The principal parts of "wring" = wring-wrung-wrung

[Fearless]

52. Yes.

[Fearless]

9. The problem isn't with Muslim students wanting to pray

It's with intolerant students who want to cause a fuss about it.

If anyone is allowed to, EVERYONE should be allowed to, regardless of the religious zealots who claim otherwise.

And SHAME on DU'ers who think that it's ok to discriminate against students.

[YarnAddict]

11. Okay.

So, maybe the Christians and Jews should get university-sanctioned prayer meetings, also.

[Fearless]

13. It's a private school for one

And for two, as long as they give equal time to anyone, then yes they should. As I previously said.

[YarnAddict]

14. Kudos

You aren't an anti-Christian bigot.

[Fearless]

15. Nope. Nor anti-Muslim bigot, nor anti-Semite for the record.

[DURHAM D]

17. jftr - Duke is a Methodist school. nt

[YarnAddict]

18. Yup

My sons (both not Methodist) went to one of those. Anything Methodist or Christian that the school would have done wouldn't have bothered me in the least.

I would have wondered if they had tried to force other religious beliefs down their throats.

[Fearless]

19. No one is forcing anyone to do anything.

Allowing Muslim students to pray in a chapel on campus is hardly "forcing other religious beliefs down their throats". In fact, not allowing them to and also allowing other forms of prayer on campus IS "forcing other religious beliefs down their throats". Full stop.

[pangaia]

31. The Methodists I know

are just a few steps to the side of Unitarians..

[csziggy]

55. Inform yourself - at this PRIVATE university they already do

Duke University has a big ass chapel that the PRIVATE university founded by religious group chose to build in the middle of campus. They have had Christian services since the chapel was built, and likely long before that. The chapel has offered Muslim prayer meetings for several years and simply wanted to allow the traditional call to prayer for their once a week observance. I haven't found mention of Jewish religious observances, but they have this:

The Faith Council was organized in 2007 by former Chapel Dean, Sam Wells. Today the Faith Council is one of the primary components of a larger interfaith initiative at Duke.
Hide The Faith Council

Working together, this ten-person Council fosters and models profound conversations across faith traditions in order to deepen participants’ practice of their own faiths, understanding of other faiths, and relationships across religious and cultural divides, and to facilitate such conversations within the University and beyond.

Faith Council MeetingMadhu Sharma
Hindu Chaplain

Dr. Laura Lieber
Assistant Director of Jewish Studies and Director of the Center for Late Ancient Studies

Dr. Christy Lohr Sapp
Associate Dean for Religious Life

Michael Quick
Member of the Buddhist Meditation Community at Duke

Mohsen Kadivar
Visiting Research Professor, Department of Religion

The Rev. Katie Owen
Presbyterian Campus Minister

Steve Hinkle
Evangelical Staff Leader for Graduate Christian Fellowship

The Faith Council sponsors a number of events throughout the year including interfaith panels and lectures. Past speakers have included award-winning author Stephen Prothero, Imam Feisal Rauf of the Cordoba Initiative. Panels have included “Saving the Earth: What can faith traditions teach about the environment?”, “Living Faiths: What do religions have to learn from each other?”, and “Religious Responses to 9/11”. The Faith Council also coordinates Duke’s involvement in President Obama’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge.
https://chapel.duke.edu/community/faith-council

That seems to be an pretty inclusive group for a Southern university.

[tblue37]

58. There is a chapel, so obviously the Christian students' needs are being accommodated.

A call to prayer is not the prayer itself or a prayer "meeting," but a summons, a reminder to attend prayer or to pray wherever one happens to be.

In Europe, which for centuries was "Christendom," church bells would ring to mark the appropriate hours of the day for prayer. Before clocks were invented, the passage of the day was marked by the ringing of the bells for the set prayer hours. Mostly the monks, nuns, and priests performed such frequent prayers (8 times a day). Some fervent lay persons might do so, too, but most lay persons had too much to do to spend that much time praying. Lay persons prayed a lot, but the "hours" (8 scheduled prayer times and their appointed liturgies) were for the clergy.

Still, the ringing of the bells did remind the devout to stop for a moment several times each day to pray for guidance and to give thanks for their blessings, just as the adnan reminds the devout Muslim when it is time for him or her to pray.

Most campuses have a chapel, and some have a synagogue, though most religious Jewish students attend synagogue in town. Since the bell tower of the chapel is similar to the minaret, using it for a call to prayer isn't much of a stretch. I bet they sometimes ring the chapel's bells for the Christian students.

BTW, I am an atheist. I don't have a dog in this fight.

[brooklynite]

64. If anyone is allowed to WHAT...?

Nobody's stopping muslim students from praying. All they're stopping is a public announcement.

The Catholic Church across the street has a Sunday service at 9:30 AM. Somehow, the worshipers figure that out themselves.

[Fearless]

65. The school announces Christian mass

The school wanted to announce Muslim prayer times. The poutrage induced public (not the students btw) took issue with chiming bells once a week to call Muslims to prayer.

It was a gesture of good faith for the Muslim student population.

What exactly is so threatening about that that they shouldn't be allowed to do it?

[Adrahil]

79. My understanding was that it was NOT just ringing bells, it was the actual chant.

I wouldn't have an issue with bells. I would have an issue with the chant being broadcast. If I were going there or working there, that is. I don't, so I'm content to let the people who do decide what they want.

[Fearless]

81. No, just the bells to call Muslims to prayer.

Once a week.

The school currently rings the bells once a day to remind Christians of services as well.

[Adrahil]

89. Meh, that'd be OK with me. n/t

[onenote]

85. What about the chant distinguishes it from the bells

Purpose is the same. Just different audio.

[Adrahil]

90. Yeah, a chant is a LOT more instrusive, IMO.

I wouldn't want someone praying aloud over the PA either.

Bells are fine.

[Fearless]

92. The chant the prayer service... not played over a PA...

The bells call Muslim students to come to the prayer service... which was held at the chapel... but now that conservative donors took an issue with Muslims using the chapel... they will be chanting on the lawn. To clarify, the chanting is the prayer service... akin to Mass in Christian services... like the Christian services it is not broadcast on a PA.

[Adrahil]

99. huh? I'm pretty sure there is a chanted "call to prayer."

See here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adhan

[OnePercentDem]

67. How is it discrimination?

No one is stopping anyone from praying. Why should they promote any religion over another?

[Fearless]

69. They ARE promoting one religion over another

They promote Christian services. In addition to doing so, they had planned on including ringing the church bells once a week to remind Muslim students of their prayers. However, a bunch of non-student conservative ideologues decided to cause a fuss and because of that they decided not to ring the church bells once a week to remind Muslim students to pray, however they will still be ringing the bells daily to remind Christian students of mass.

That's what's going on here.

[OnePercentDem]

71. You do realize

That Duke is a private Methodist University right?

[Fearless]

75. You do realize that they wanted to support their Muslim students

But conservatives outside the university wined about it?

[OnePercentDem]

77. They were not outside the university

They were major donors and alumni.

[Fearless]

78. Major donors and alumni... what about that says they have the right to hate Muslim students?

[OnePercentDem]

86. Hate?

You're reaching pretty badly now. As far as I know they don't restrict Muslim students from attending or praying just like they don't restrict other religions from attending or praying. Just because they didn't give the Muslim students special treatment does not mean they hate them.

[Fearless]

87. They give CHRISTIAN students special treatment. Please read the actual story!

The school has traditionally rang the chapel bells once a day to call Christians to mass.

The school wanted to include their Muslim students in this tradition by ringing the chapel bells once a week to call them to prayer services.

A bunch of big money conservatives decide that this is "anti-American" or some crap, and threaten the school

The school backs down.

The school will continue to ring chapel bells daily for Christian mass.


So who's getting special treatment exactly??

[OnePercentDem]

88. I don't need to read the story

I went to school there, the church bells have ringing at Duke for nearly 200 years. No student uses those bells as a call to go to church, they use them to tell time and to know you're late to class. Stop with the drama.

[Fearless]

91. And how would ringing the bells now for any reason hurt you?

[OnePercentDem]

96. It does t birt

But that is not what they wanted to do.

[Fearless]

97. Actually it is.

Read the article.

[OnePercentDem]

98. I'm for freedom from religion

You clearly have another agenda.

[Thor_MN]

12. Are they going to stop using the bell tower for any puposes?

Such as ringing the bells for Christian services?

[Adrahil]

80. What difference does that make? They are a private school. n/t

[Thor_MN]

83. Because of a backlash from intolerant fundamentalists, they denied use to a religous group.

If they are going to deny use to one group, they should deny it to all groups.

Pretty simple concept.

[hollowdweller]

24. This church at the bottom of my parents street

Got this sound system and played loud bell type hymns over it all Sunday morning. I grew up in the church and my dad and grandma used to teach Sunday school there but my parents and all the neighbors shut them down because it was driving them crazy.

I think it would be kind of cool to hear the call to prayer but then if a Christian church wanted to do the bell thing too and maybe Hindus I could see how it could get annoying.

[Rhinodawg]

37. Duke could really show inclusiveness..

If it follows sharia law on campus.

THAT would be interesting.

[jtuck004]

50. Gonna drop the christian prayers at ceremonies or keep shoving that down people's throats? n/t

[Adrahil]

82. It's a private school. They can do that if they like. n/t

[jtuck004]

94. Cool. Given that argument, I can do whatever I want as a private person, including lauging at the

buffoons.

[Adrahil]

100. You can. The right to do something does not include the right to no criticism. n/t

[Stephen Retired]

59. Cowards

[alp227]

60. Exactly. The right wing doesn't need any more ego boosters. And welcome to DU! nt

[Stephen Retired]

73. Thank you

Glad to be here.

[OnePercentDem]

68. They should be scared

It costs $60,000 a year to go to school there. Its a private school, therefore its a private business. They have to consider the backlash, they are in North Carolina, which is still pretty southern. On top of that, their student body is heavily Asian, they have a hard time getting the local top students.

[OldRedneck]

70. Franklin Graham says Muslims are butchering people who don't share their beliefs.

Hmmm. The Muslims are simply modeling themselves after the Christians -- anyone remember the Crusades and the Inquisition?

[HeiressofBickworth]

72. My small town has fixed the issue

The mosque in our town is not allowed to broadcast calls to prayer AND the churches are not allowed to ring bells. No one has complained about this solution -- it's fair and equitable and most welcome to the residents of the town.

[former9thward]

93. I guess the churches and mosques in your town don't have the money to hire

a lawyer. Even one who was not that competent could get that unconstitutional ban overturned easily.

[HeiressofBickworth]

95. I think it's because

the members of the mosque/churches appreciate the quiet times just like the rest of us do. This ban has been in place since I first moved here in the 1970's without any complaint from anyone. The mosque moved in sometime in the early 90's so they knew coming in that there would be no broadcast call to prayer. It seems to work just fine for everyone.

[drynberg]

74. Gee, I looked at all the entries, but no one seems to take the story as I do...

Duke said they would have calls to Muslim prayer, and then in two days reversed themselves. Wonder what happened in those two days? That's my point.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

76. As a Duke alumna...

Firstly, yes, it was founded as a Methodist school but it is no longer a religious institution, though it maintains ties with the Methodist Church.

Secondly, plenty of faiths have been allowed and encouraged to meet and worship at Duke Chapel, particularly in the basement crypts - which are awesome, by the way.

Most of the students are from outside of North Carolina and indeed from pretty much any place on earth, so it is a very diverse student body. I personally think it would have been a great sign of unity to have had the call to prayer from the chapel. But don't forget that the call to prayer itself hasn't been cancelled; it's just moved to the quad which ironically would probably bring in more folks.

Lastly and informally, everyone knows the true place of worship on campus isn't the chapel, but Cameron Indoor Stadium, not far from it, though lately prayers have gone unheeded!

[onenote]

84. My wife, also a Duke alumna, invokes the name of the deity whenever the Blue Devils are on the court

Of course, that deity is Krzyzewski