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Calls to prayer rile some residents of mixed Israeli town

Some residents of Lod complain that the ubiquitous Muslim calls to prayer are a nuisance, though others say the multicultural city will never silence them.
Arab Israeli Sheikh Raed Salah delivers a sermon during a prayer outside a mosque in the Israeli city of Lod, 30 kms west of Tel Aviv, as a protest against house demolitions in the city on January 29, 2010. Hundreds of people protested against the demolition of Arab-Israeli homes in Lod. Jamal Zahalka, an Arab MP among the protesters said a total of 40,000 Arab homes in Israel were threatened with demolition. AFP PHOTO/JACK GUEZ (Photo credit should read JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

No one visiting the town of Lod at dusk can miss the muezzin’s call to prayer. Though it originates in only certain neighborhoods, it can be heard throughout the entire city.

Lod lies in the center of the country. Some 30% of its population is Muslim. Recent complaints about the muezzin are a sorry reminder of the challenges facing the town. Nevertheless, it is worth recalling that its Muslim and Jewish populations have lived together in a rare state of harmony for several decades.

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