For Whom the Muezzin Calls

From USP alumnus David Graham, Class of 2009, a nuanced and thoughtful article in The Atlantic, “For Whom the Meuzzin Calls,” about the controversy surrounding Duke’s decision to hold the Muslim Call to Prayer from the iconic Duke Chapel and the subsequent reversal of that decision.

David is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where he covers political and global news. Prior to his engagement at The Atlantic, David reported for Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, and The National.  As a Duke undergraduate, he was the Editor-in-Chief at Duke’s daily newspaper, The Chronicle, during the lacrosse scandal.  David graduated magna cum laude with High Distinction in History, a minor in Asian and African Languages and Literatures, and a certificate in Islamic Studies.  The title of his senior thesis, Global Media, Regional Crisis, seems particularly apt in light of the current situation on campus.

In addition to disgruntled donors, there have been real and serious security threats that prompted Duke’s decision to shift Friday’s Call to Prayer from the Chapel to the quad in front of the Chapel.  Many faculty, staff, and students will join their Muslim colleagues on the quad today to demonstrate support for the freedom to express their religion.  Security staff will be on site, as will numerous media outlets.  Perhaps ironically, the event will be an even bigger affair following the controversy than it would have if there had been no public announcement of the Chapel staff’s decision to broadcast the Call to Prayer from the Chapel itself.  In a further instance of temporal irony, the event comes just before Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations at Duke.