The Jakarta Globe, May 29, 2013.
Indonesian cities may soon be a bit quieter, as an influential Islamic body has announced it will issue a ban on the amplification of mosque services.
“We’re discussing the technical detail and the concept,” said Jusuf Kalla, head of Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI), on Tuesday, as quoted by Kompas.com.
Jusuf, who’s also a former vice president of Indonesia, said that it’s alright for the mosque to use the loudspeaker for azan (call for prayer) but not for other purposes.
“If it is for azan, it’s alright as everywhere in the world the mosques use speaker for azan. Azan is a call for people [to pray] and the duration is only three minutes,” he said.
Many of Indonesia’s 800,000 mosques use loudspeakers to blare Koranic recitals, lengthy sermons and Islamic songs throughout the day and night.
DMI deputy chairman Masdur Farid Masudi said that it’s acceptable for mosques to use loudspeakers within their premises for sermons, but that amplification devices facing outward may disturb nearby residents.
“If people come to the mosque it means they need to hear the sermon, but it’s not clear whether anonymous people outside the mosque need to hear it or not,” Masdar said. “People outside might not agree with the fiery preaching.”
Masdar said that in addition to disrupting the neighborhood, amplified sermons also could reveal the “secret of Islam.”
“If it’s being heard outside, it would strip us naked. People will know all the good and bad information about us,” Masdar said.
In Banda Aceh, a 75-year old man named Sayed Hassan won a rare victory against the noisy speaker in one of the local mosques in February. Sayed filed a lawsuit against local religious officials alleging that the noise from a nearby mosque’s six loudspeakers had negatively impacted his life.
He was forced to withdraw the legal action and an angry mob threatened to kill him. But after he dropped the case, the mosque volume was significantly turned down by about half.
wo 29 mei 2013 - 8:42