23.11.2021
Indonesia
Muslim Council of Indonesia calls for review of using loudspeakers in mosques
The Supreme Religious Council of Muslims of Indonesia has called for a review of the rules for the use of loudspeakers in mosques due to concerns and complaints from members of the public.
There are almost 625,000 mosques in the huge Indonesian archipelago. In the country itself, 80 percent of the 270 million population confess Islam. Most mosques use loudspeakers to play the azan or call to prayer and sermons. Many of them have poor acoustics and therefore set a high volume, which leads to complaints of noise pollution.
In 1978, the country's Ministry of Religious Affairs issued a decree that serves as a guide to the use of speakers in mosques. In a fatwa published this month, the Indonesian Ulema Council said it was necessary to "update” the law to take into account the current social dynamics and prevent disagreements. This decree was approved by the Minister of Religious Affairs of the country, Yakut Cholil Kumas.
Masduki Baidlovi, one of the council's leaders and a spokesman for Indonesian Vice President Maruf Amin, said over the weekend that religious scholars have identified the uncontrolled use of speakers in mosques as a growing public problem.
He cited Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, as an example, where the population was more homogeneous decades ago, but times have changed, and since then the country's largest city has become home to new residents from different religious denominations.
There are almost 7,000 mosques in Jakarta covering an area of 661.5 square kilometers, which are home to about 11 million people — currently, about 20 percent of them are non-Muslims.
The issue of the volume level of loudspeakers in mosques has also been repeatedly raised by former Vice President of Indonesia Yusuf Kalla, who heads the Indonesian Council of Mosques.
One of the main programs of the Muslim Council of Indonesia for 2017-22 was the installation of acoustic systems in mosques. Equipment has already been repaired and adjusted in more than 52,000 mosques across the country.
Source of information:
http://www.arabnews.com
There are almost 625,000 mosques in the huge Indonesian archipelago. In the country itself, 80 percent of the 270 million population confess Islam. Most mosques use loudspeakers to play the azan or call to prayer and sermons. Many of them have poor acoustics and therefore set a high volume, which leads to complaints of noise pollution.
In 1978, the country's Ministry of Religious Affairs issued a decree that serves as a guide to the use of speakers in mosques. In a fatwa published this month, the Indonesian Ulema Council said it was necessary to "update” the law to take into account the current social dynamics and prevent disagreements. This decree was approved by the Minister of Religious Affairs of the country, Yakut Cholil Kumas.
Masduki Baidlovi, one of the council's leaders and a spokesman for Indonesian Vice President Maruf Amin, said over the weekend that religious scholars have identified the uncontrolled use of speakers in mosques as a growing public problem.
He cited Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, as an example, where the population was more homogeneous decades ago, but times have changed, and since then the country's largest city has become home to new residents from different religious denominations.
There are almost 7,000 mosques in Jakarta covering an area of 661.5 square kilometers, which are home to about 11 million people — currently, about 20 percent of them are non-Muslims.
The issue of the volume level of loudspeakers in mosques has also been repeatedly raised by former Vice President of Indonesia Yusuf Kalla, who heads the Indonesian Council of Mosques.
One of the main programs of the Muslim Council of Indonesia for 2017-22 was the installation of acoustic systems in mosques. Equipment has already been repaired and adjusted in more than 52,000 mosques across the country.
Source of information:
http://www.arabnews.com