"We must ensure that mosques not only become centers of religious activities, but also partake in maintaining social harmony and order," the ministry's Director for Islamic Affairs and Sharia Development, Adib, said during a virtual discussion, accessed online from Jakarta on Tuesday.
The ministry’s Regulation No. 5 of 2022, which regulates loudspeaker systems in mosques, has a precedent: the ministry's Directorate General for Islamic Community Guidance had issued a similar directive in 1978, he informed.
The then-State Minister of Environment had also restricted the noise level at religious premises to 55 decibels via a regulation issued in 1996, while regulation No. 5 of 2022 permits sound levels of up to 100 decibels, the director noted.
"The regulation is meant to complement the directorate general's 1978 directive that remains relevant to this day as our guidance (in performing religious activities)," Adib remarked.
Meanwhile, Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas highlighted that while the loudspeaker system is essential for congregational religious activities performed frequently by Muslims, its usage must be regulated to maintain social harmony and brotherhood given the nation’s heterogeneous society.
The ministry regulation also dictates that the internal loudspeaker system installed inside mosques be separated from the external loudspeaker system, he added.
According to chairperson of the Indonesian Ulema Council’s (MUI) Fatwa department, Asrorun Niam, the ministry’s Regulation No. 05 of 2022 is consistent with the resolution of the Ulema meeting last year.
The council concurred that while some Islamic congregational activities and the obligatory daily calls of prayer necessitate the utilization of a loudspeaker system, the system needs to be regulated to prevent harm to others, he said.
"Hence, we need a regulation on the loudspeaker system at religious premises to establish common benefits, ensure public order, and prevent harm to others," Niam added.
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Translator: Asep Firmansyah, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
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