T

he Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI) is calling on mosques across the nation to be considerate when using loudspeakers during the holy month of Ramadhan, which begins on Wednesday.

'€œPrayer calls are a must in Islam, but we want mosque managements in Jakarta and in other regions to manage the use of microphones or loudspeakers so as not to disturb people who want to rest,'€ council chairman Jusuf Kalla told reporters on Tuesday.

The former vice president said the move was more than just an act of tolerance but that it would also help Muslims focus on their prayers. He said noisy sermons could not be heard clearly, especially when there was more than one mosque at a time using speakers. '€œMicrophones and loudspeakers are important, but don'€™t use them excessively,'€ he said.

Kalla said the council had informed mosque managements to limit the use of loudspeakers for adzan or prayer calls, to three minutes and seven minutes for sermons.

He added that the council had also advised Muslims to avoid blaring the sounds of Islamic teachings during the calls for sahur or predawn meals.

Council deputy chairman Masdar Mas'€™udi previously told The Jakarta Post that restricting the use of loudspeakers was necessary because Muslims were living in a pluralist community and that if they wanted to be respected, they should respect followers of other religions.

He said, however, that the council would not enforce a regulation prohibiting mosques from using loudspeakers. Separately, Islamic group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) accepted the council'€™s statement.

'€œDuring Ramadhan, Muslims are advised to read the Koran after performing tarawih [extra prayer service] at mosques. However, it isn'€™t necessary to use loudspeakers during periods of rest,'€ HTI spokesperson Muhammad Ismail Yusanto told the Post.

He said that Islamic laws or fikih only obliged the use of loudspeakers for prayer calls.

Chairman of Anni'€™mah Mosque'€™s committee, Darto Yudhi Pariyanto, said that his mosque in Ciledug, Tangerang, had limited the use of loudspeakers after receiving complaints from locals. '€œWe have consulted a Muslim cleric who said that Islam doesn'€™t teach us to disrupt or bother other people but rather to respect the privacy of others,'€ he said, adding that now the mosque used speakers only for adzan and to make important announcements.

When asked about mosques that have ignored the council'€™s calls, Kalla said that the council was planning to create a nation-wide system to centralize prayer calls.