Duke University drops prayer call proposal

DURHAM, N.C. – Days after announcing that a Muslim call to prayer would echo from its historic chapel tower, Duke University changed course Thursday following a flurry of calls and emails objecting to the plan.

Instead, Muslims will gather for their call to prayer in a grassy area near the 210-foot gothic tower before heading into a room in Duke Chapel for their weekly prayer service. The university had previously said a moderately amplified call to prayer would be read by members of the Muslim Students Association from the tower for about three minutes each Friday.

Michael Schoenfeld, Duke’s vice president for public affairs and government relations, said it would be up to the students if they want to use some sort of amplification.

The original plan drew the ire of evangelist Franklin Graham, who urged Duke alumni to withhold support because of violence against Christians that he attributed to Muslims.

“There was considerable traffic and conversation and even a little bit of confusion, both within the campus and certainly outside, about what Duke was doing,” Schoenfeld said. “The purposes and goals and even the facts had been so mischaracterized as to turn it into a divisive situation, not a unifying situation.”

He also said there were concerns about safety and security, but he declined to elaborate on whether any specific threats had been received.

The chapel is identified by the school as a Christian church but also hosts Hindu services and has been used for Buddhist meditations.

The private university in Durham was founded by Methodists and Quakers, and its divinity school has historically been connected to the United Methodist Church. Duke has nearly 15,000 students, including about 6,500 undergraduates. The university says more than 700 of its students identify themselves as Muslim.