Mosque Loudspeaker Noise

Feb 14th, 2007, in News, Opinion, by

Parvita writes on the topic: Loudspeaker Abuse in the Mosques: should mosques be disciplined?

If you live in Jakarta and look around some of the housing pockets in the area, how many mosques do you find in 5 kilometer radius? Have you ever seen a mosque without a loudspeaker? Have you ever had trouble sleeping because the mosque(s) was/were so loud, not only during adzan?

I stayed for couple of days in my sister’s place at Pancoran area. I can hear at least two different adzans, so at least there are two mosques around there. The first night I stayed there, I was awakened by the Adzan Subuh. Which is alright. Then it stopped. But the last couple of days staying there, I was awakened around 3:30am by the sound of somebody reading the Qur’an with very high pitched voice.

It is not only there. At Kuningan, there are also at least 3 mosques using loudspeakers and they don’t only use it during adzan, but also for calling each other, announcing who donated money or food, who died, sometimes kids singing, and all other kinds of information that are not really important (maybe for the neighbourhood, but not for all the people living in the apartment, I believe!).

Honestly, I feel bothered. First of all, the loudspeaker in the mosques has been abused. When you call for prayers, that is a reminder. Reading the qur’an loudly, or saying prayers or preachings loudly, that is already bothering other people’s privacy. Especially when it is used for other things like calling your friends, that is extremely rude and insensitive; we have no choice to listen or not to listen. Some people still need to sleep, they need to work early and leave work late, and they want to have a decent sleep to be ready for work the next day, and here they are with their loudspeakers. I often wonder, when I need concentration in the office, those people are back in bed, taking a nap. Especially during Ramadhan. Experienced very loud sounds that keep you awake from 2am?

Second of all, is there any rules on how loud a loudspeaker can be, and how far from one mosque can you build another mosque? Check the Tegal Parang area, Warung Buncit. Just walk along the small street and look at how many mosques you see in that small area. A lot. And can you imagine if all of them abuse the use of the loudspeakers? Noise pollution.

Moslem people here believe that when you build a mosque, your merit “points” (pahala) will continue even when you are dead. Some people build mosque so that they are socially uplifted. Even though the Qur’an clearly says that your merit score ends when you are dead. Moslems also believe that to spread the preaching is a must for moslems. The Qur’an clearly says not to ‘sell cheap’ the teachings (for one example, using the verses when you know people don’t want to listen to them). Qur’an also tells that prayers that will be answered are those which are said with humble heart and low/soft voice. So where did they get this idea?

I’m not a believer in hadits, but I remember someone told me that one of the hadits mentioned that the distance between building one mosque and another is when the adzan cannot be heard from the previous mosque. That makes sense. I wonder if there is any regulation in Jakarta for building mosques. Seems like there isn’t.

Call me what you want, I am a moslem myself, I say my prayers, but me, my parents, my siblings living around Jakarta, and my other friends who are moslems, they feel bothered. But nobody goes to the mosque and complains. Of course nobody dares. What is the use of pointing out what is written in the Qur’an to them?


100 Comments on “Mosque Loudspeaker Noise”

  1. Grace and Mercy says:

    Check the Tegal Parang area, Warung Buncit. Just walk along the small street and look at how many mosques you see in that small area. A lot. And can you imagine if all of them abuse the use of the loudspeakers?

    Hahahaha.. this is my neighborhood, and yes ALL of them use (abuse) their loudspeakers… 😀

    should mosques be disciplined?

    I think ALL aspects of our nation should be disciplined.

  2. Ihaknt says:

    Heheheh Parvita, I can’t agree with you more. They’re annoying!!!!

    Moslem people here believe that when you build a mosque, your merit “points” (pahala) will continue even when you are dead. Some people build mosque so that they are socially uplifted. Even though the Qur’an clearly says that your merit score ends when you are dead. Moslems also believe that to spread the preaching is a must for Moslems. The Qur’an clearly says not to ‘sell cheap’ the teachings (for one example, using the verses when you know people don’t want to listen to them). Qur’an also tells that prayers that will be answered are those which are said with humble heart and low/soft voice. So where did they get this idea?

    I’m not a believer in hadits, but I remember someone told me that one of the hadits mentioned that the distance between building one mosque and another is when the adzan cannot be heard from the previous mosque. That makes sense. I wonder if there is any regulation in Jakarta for building mosques. Seems like there isn’t.

    1. Many things have been misinterpreted and taken out of context from the Qur’an for the sake of being sok suci but all just for social status and gengsi. So, nothing new there.
    2. Regulations? Pah!!! It’s Indo…there’s no such thing as regulation, especially if money talks. All rules and common sense are out the window.
    3. Rules..huh? What rules?

  3. sgn says:

    Once, my friends and his family visiting us (they are not Indonesian). When the 3 years old girl heard the adzan, she asked her father: ” Daddy, why uncle crying?”. Her father explained to her…… and yet she asked her father again later “Why uncle crying again?”.

  4. 1ndra says:

    About the child singing, he he he, sure it should be disciplined and others that aren’t related to ‘a call for worship’.

  5. Tomaculum says:

    I lived in a small city in East Java with only (believe it or not!) one mosque, about 100-200 meters from my birth house.
    I enjoyed (as a non Moslem) and enjoy (nowadays when I visit my old mother) the “song” of adzan. There were times, when I was afraid sleeping alone in dark nights, I felt safe and relieved to hear the adzan. Many times I miss the sound!
    But indeed, when in a small area so many mosques built up (with permission? :)) and they all as usually turn on their loudspeakers maximally, you feel like sleeping in a market (supermarket or pasar). 🙂

  6. Chris says:

    It was reported in “Tempo” magazine in 2005 that in Cairo, a Muslim man complained to the Egyptian Religious Affairs Ministry that the excessive volume of the call to prayer was reducing/negating the religious significance of it. The minister concerned agreed, and ordered an inquiry into the appropriate use of the loudspeaker. Don’t know if anything came of it, though.

    By the way, I find the call to prayer as disturbing to my (mostly non-Muslim) neighbourhood as the Anti-Apostasy Movement found the GBI house-church in Bandung to theirs. I wonder if AAM will ask the mosques to respect my feelings???

  7. Madesh says:

    I was told why they have to use a loudspeaker to pray because they have been left behind by their God.
    So in order to get their prayer listened by God they don’t have any choice.
    What a pity!!

  8. 1ndra says:

    I was told why they have to use a loudspeaker to pray because they have been left behind by their God.
    So in order to get their prayer listened by God they don’t have any choice.
    What a pity!!

    Its a joke right? 🙂
    Just like this one. :

    Ada tiga orang pemuka agama: pendeta Hindu, pastur Katolik, dan seorang kiai sedang berbincang-bincang tentang kedekatan mereka terhadap Tuhan.

    “Kamilah yang paling dekat dengan Tuhan,” kata pendeta Hindu.
    “Kok bisa?” tanya kedua koleganya.
    “Kami memanggil-Nya dengan sebutan Om,” jawabnya yang merujuk ke seruan religius Hindu: Om, shanti, shanti Om.

    “Oh, kalau alasannya itu sih, kami dong yang lebih dekat,” kata pastur Katolik. “Kami kan memanggil-Nya Bapa. Bapa kami di surga.”

    Karena sang kiai diam saja, kedua pemuka agama yang lain bertanya, “Pak Kiai bagaimana? Sedekat apa hubungan dengan Tuhan?”
    “Duh, boro-boro dekat, memanggilnya aja mesti dari menara (adzan),” jawab kiai.

  9. Mohammed Khafi says:

    Pahala? Hah! What sort of person thinks that they are going to gain Brownie Points from Allah with the excruciating noise that come from a large percentage of the Mosques in Jakarta.

    Adzhan carried out with dignity and respect is quite beautiful, but the way it is cheapened in this country is shameful, amplifiers turned to earsplitting levels, distorted sound, electronic echos, Muezzin who cannot hold a note properly, small children, who cannot even remember their verses correctly, what a disgrace, what a shambles, if Allah is listening lets hope he/she is wearing some form of ear protection!

    Peace.

  10. Tomaculum says:

    M. Khafi:
    and those are some of the reasons why Allah plagues Indonesia with natural disasters, accidents and epidemics? To reduce such ignorance?
    🙂

  11. susanto says:

    Making much noise in Indonesia is very normal.

    Music should also be played loud, and why not hymns and prayers in churches (yes even in evangelical churches!) and the adzan?

  12. Bas says:

    I don’t know how many time I wanted to bomb a mosquee or kill the Hazan or the pseudo Hazzan zho zas shouting behind his mic because of the noise polution. Especialy when I was very sick and needed to sleep. I almost got crazy during Ramadhan. That is not tolerable. Even in some Arabic countries loud speakers are forbidden.

    And the worst seems to be coming: now I have to stand for “keliling mesjid”. People are walking the streets at 4 in the morning with loudspeaker and urge people to wake up and pray.

    Last morning at 4 Oclock: “WAKE UP… DON’T BE LAZY… PRAY… PRAYING IS AN OBLIGATION…. PRAYING IS BETTER THAN SLEEPING… bla bla bla…”.

    I wish I had a shotgun!

    Seriously there should be regulation about that. Some people have real lives to live and need to sleep and not everybody is a Muslim. Not mentioning sleeping disturbance for children. They won’t be more intelligent than their parents if they cannot sleep enough.

  13. Abdullah Muhamad says:

    Parvita, thanks for bringing up this matter, you are truly a wonderful Muslimah! God bless you!

  14. Cukurungan says:

    Khafi,

    Talk always easy but as an educated Moslem you should know well who are your brother here. If you still consider all of those un-educated Moslem as your brother. Islam came to Indo especially in Java Island was not by forced but it was inserted by “wali sanga” to the local belief either Hindu, buddha or cults and until all those wali sanga gone most of our brother knowledge and belief are still mixing between those all kind of teaching. Therefore, it is no wonder their KTP is islam but most of them are not representing the true islamic teaching as yours.

    For non-Moslem your feel annoyed with such very loudly and un-controlled noise are quite understandable even sometimes ago there was Arabic Country ambassador complaint to the local leaders concerning the said noise.

    But the Big question who cares and dare to make change about amenity things while so many real problems like garbage stuff, pa ogah, traffic jam and taxi robber were never solved and handled in the comprehensive manner.

  15. Ihaknt says:

    What sort of person thinks that they are going to gain Brownie Points from Allah with the excruciating noise that come from a large percentage of the Mosques in Jakarta.

    MK, seriously. Do you think that many people do things without hoping or expecting there will be something in returns? If they were then what a great situation we would be in. Many give donation and then berkoar koar around their RT. It’s a sad reality.

  16. Grace and Mercy says:

    But the Big question who cares and dare to make change about amenity things while so many real problems like garbage stuff, pa ogah, traffic jam and taxi robber were never solved and handled in the comprehensive manner.

    Cuk, you have a point. All these issues pose a challenge for Muslims in this country, since they are the majority.

    If all Muslim step up to the challenge to help erradicate all those problems you listed above, think about the huge difference it will make in this country.

    As far as the Mosque noise ordinance goes, maybe Muslims can start there since it does serve as the backbone/ pillar of things. After that’s taken care of, then efforts can trickle down to other problems existing in society.

  17. Ihaknt says:

    Hehehehe Bas take a valium.

  18. Madesh says:

    Hi Bas, don’t be too desperate.
    You’d better take a cocktail rather than get a shotgun.
    It’s cheaper
    The cocktail consists of Rohypnol, Mogadon and Esilgan then you will never get annoyed.

  19. sgn says:

    As I posted in other topic earlier, I grown up in a slum area. There were three mosques surrounded my parent’s 50m2 house. Those mosques were not from the same sects… so kind of a competition between them. They did not start their azdans.

    I used to it. I could sleep without being disturbed by their adzans. However, when I was sick then it was really annoying.

  20. Cukurungan says:

    Oh Bas you are “kasihan sekali”

    Here happy menu if you want to try:
    1) Go to TAPOS in morning and find “Kandang Sapi”there. (it must be in the early morning before 6 am).
    2) Check around droplet Sapi or bullsh*t there
    3) If you see small spounge (jamur) over there just take it one by one until at least you gathere it a cup or a glass.
    4) Clean those spounge and cut it pieces whatever sizes you want
    5) Take an egg and mix with the pieces of spounge.
    6) Fryng those mixing and if you wish until well done.
    7) Now your happy menu is ready to serve.
    8) I think you don’t need to eat it all, 1/2 reciepe would be enough.

    Normally, people whoever take this menu can have happy hours at least 8 hours after serve it.
    It will cost you cheaply and free you from jail.

    Note : I think this menu still not categorized as “NARKOBA”but for our fellow Moslem don’t even try this menu. You have other choise to make you happy.

  21. Tukangsate says:

    I do agree with abusing loudspeaker is sooo disturbing. But the sad thing is, Hindu people in Bali starts to use this way (Loudspeaker) to call for prayers too (I personally found this case when I was living in Singaraja Bali few years ago). So yeah, wonder if any other religions in Indonesia start to follow this way because of “compromise” mentality, I believe in the next few years Indonesian will dealing with new penyakit called budek.

  22. Jay says:

    I believe GOD loves silence and will run away from loud places. With HE not hearing the prayers – expect no results.

  23. Hassan says:

    Just a question Bas, would you use the shotgun to shoot the noisy mob, or shoot yourself? 😀

  24. Cukurungan says:

    Grace,

    If God willing, We Moslem promise to eradicate all those problem not more than a year and if it is not realized you might borrow “BAS” gun shoot on me but I don’t think you are ready to pay the price.

  25. Grace and Mercy says:

    May God help you on your awesome promise Cuk. I won’t borrow BAS’ shot gun. I have no right to shoot anyone.

  26. Jay says:

    Loudspeakers are infringment in personal lives and no one has right to enforce his sermons or what ever on any other person. LOUDSPEAKERS SHOULD BE BANNED TOTALLY.

  27. 1ndra says:

    Totally, including live music and other thing?

  28. Dimp says:

    Hi 1ndra,

    Have you seen one of the adzan from one of the Indonesian tv, it shows a flashback of someone’s childhood when he was too ashamed to pray because he didn’t have new clothing. I can’t remember which station I saw this one, but I actually followed the whole story. I think we should encourage the tv stations to show more positive things in the society rather than showing violence and supernatural shows that doesnt educate people.

  29. 1ndra says:

    In which tv station?
    I hear the adzan directly from mosque.
    I almost never watch tv unless there’re good news.

    But your point is true, tv nowadays are full of uneducated teen sinetrons. With school set, they’re aren’t educating how to study but instead make love story, fighting, shopping, walking-walking and much else.
    And there goes our new generations hope.

  30. Jay says:

    Live music is usually played in closed environment – so no problems.

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