JAKARTA – The highest Muslim council of Indonesia has called for a review of the guidelines on the use of loudspeakers at mosques. The vast Indonesian archipelago, where over 80 percent of the 270 million population professes Islam, has nearly 625,000 mosques. Most of the mosques use loudspeakers to air azan, or call to prayer, and sermons. The country's Religious Affairs Ministry released a decree in 1978, which serves as guidelines on the use of mosque loudspeakers. Complaints about the volume of mosque loudspeakers and their use in the early hours, even before the call to prayer, have led to several controversies.

Source: The Nation November 22, 2021 23:44 UTC