Anyone who has ever been jolted awake before dawn by the blare of a static-filled sound system will appreciate what the Egyptian government is trying to do. It is making efforts to enforce restrictions on what can be broadcast from mosques and when, stating that the traditional call to prayer is acceptable, but other messages or readings from the Koran are not. The call of the muezzin can be one of the charms of the Islamic world, but when several mosques are in close proximity, such as they are in certain Cairo neighborhoods, and they have antiquated sound systems, the romance can quickly wear thin.
