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Duke's Call to Prayer Controversy and the Morality of Football
January 29, 2015
Summary: Duke recently announced--then nixed--a plan to broadcast the Muslim call to prayer from the bell tower of its Christian chapel. Three experts explain the ensuing uproar. Plus, a poll on the hand of God in sports.
KevinPayravi | Wikimedia Commons
Duke, Muslims, and the Limits of Interfaith Unity January 29, 2015
A few weeks ago, Duke University quietly announced it would begin broadcasting the Muslim call to prayer from its Christian chapel. It was meant as a gesture of interfaith solidarity, though not requested by Muslim students themselves. A few days later, after an outcry by evangelist Franklin Graham and others, the historically Methodist school decided to pull the plug, saying the idea was “not having the intended effect.” And that’s when the story got kind of crazy.

Two Duke students tell us how all of this got started, then three experts consider the deeper issues: the proper role of Islam in the public square, why the Muslim call to prayer makes some people nervous, and even the wisdom of using one holy space for two different religions.

Rachael Clark, member of Duke's Presbyterian Campus Ministry
Noura Elsayed, member of Duke's Muslim Student Association
Mollie Hemingway, senior editor at The Federalist
Nihad Awad, Executive Director and Founder of the Council on American-Islamic Relations

Isaac Weiner, author of Religion Out Loud: Religious Sound, Public Space, and American Pluralism




On January 16, hundreds of students stood near Duke's Chapel to show their support for Muslim students and the broadcasting of the Muslim call to prayer.
Credit: via Twitter, Connie Ma/@ironypoisoning
El Clemente Photography | Wikimedia Commons
Does God Determine the Superbowl? Many Americans Say Yes January 29, 2015
Not to ruin your Superbowl party, but with all the scandal surrounding the NFL, professional football is struggling to maintain its glorious, all-American reputation. According to a new poll, about a third of Americans think the NFL should ban players convicted of domestic violence. Americans also have opinions on God-as-referee: about a quarter think God decides which team wins sporting events--including the Superbowl.

Robert Jones, CEO of Public Religion Research Institute
Tom Krattenmaker, communications director at Yale Divinity School and author of Onward Christian Athletes