Somewhere in-between the morning garbage trucks, the afternoon bustle of people running errands and midnight train whistles, Hamtramck might soon be hearing Muslim prayer calls reminding Islamic followers to worship their God.

Yet, some residents have argued that there would be too much noise in the city, which has caused many homeowners in the city to complain.

Church bells already are being rung in the city and don't seem to arouse much debate - possibly because it is the dominating religion or because it has been tradition.

But to approve of only one kind of religion's prayer calls shows intolerance.

The purpose of a prayer call is to remind believers and followers to take a few minutes out of their busy schedules and pray. It does not try to convert, offend or interrupt the daily routine of noise.

Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, tolerance of the Islamic faith has been minimal, and the subject of having their faith broadcast five times a day for all to hear was, for a time, thought unspeakable.

The fact that Hamtramck has just recently repealed the call to ban Islamic prayer calls has many Muslims in the area excited that the Islamic faith might finally be accepted.

And it should be - just as any other religion.

It doesn't seem to matter that the vote to repeal the call to prayer for Muslims in Hamtramck failed only by a small 262 vote margin.

The fact that Muslims still haven't received the OK to have their prayer call broadcasted in the Polish-dominated city doesn't seem to be a major concern right now, either.

What does seem to matter is that we have taken a step, no matter how small, in the direction of religious tolerance.