U

rbanites here have an extraordinary tolerance for noise. Roaring vehicles and blaring tunes in malls and weddings are the order of the day that few complain about. To avoid condemnation, even fewer would publicly complain about the disruption of the otherwise quiet hours by noise coming from mosques and religious gatherings '€” except when those making the noise are followers of a minority faith.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla has again reminded everyone that when it comes to loudspeakers, public interest is much more important than the religious Brownie-points anyone might hope to collect through a blaring recital of Koranic verses. Muslims believe listeners of the recitals gain pahala (divine rewards) even if they hear the verses by chance and even if they don'€™t understand Arabic. But Kalla, in another controversial statement, confirms the resentment of anyone grumbling over a loss of sleep when awakened by predawn recitals.

What was new was Kalla'€™s call to limit such recitals to a maximum of 30 minutes with the volume of the amplifiers turned down. As chairman of the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI) on Wednesday Kalla said in Palu, Central Sulawesi, that mosque administrators should consider the presence of infants, sick people and those who must awake early for work after returning home late at night. '€œThey will go to the office with sleepy eyes,'€ Kalla said.

Of course we support his call, in which Kalla also said mosque administrators should stay alert against potential campaigns by preachers intent on spreading extreme messages to congregations.

His earlier appeals have been blasted by those alleging Kalla, a businessman and senior politician with the title of haji, has little sensitivity for religious devotion. However, Kalla was obviously referring to the competition between loudspeakers of different mosques that are often located close to one another in cities and deliver unnecessarily loud and long recitals, in addition to the mandatory call to prayer.

Kalla said, '€œEvery kilometer, or even half-kilometer, there is a mosque,'€ which would be the similar case in Christian-majority cities like Manado in North Sulawesi. In the case of Muslim-dominated areas, religious gatherings often involve the broadcasting of taped recitals and taped sermons, apart from the live sermons that even incite intolerance among neighbors of different faiths.

Cities do have rules against noise disturbance, but inhabitants rarely bring up the issue in these overtly religious days. People fear being bullied for being less devote because the bullies and those controlling those loudspeakers may resent criticism of their power '€” maybe a bit like high-tempered motorists using their horns as weapons.

Religious leaders differ as to whether Kalla'€™s call should translate into rules over the broadcasts from mosques, claiming such religious practices are protected by the Constitution. But many among the faithful actually do appreciate the difference between the call to prayers, which is mandatory and helpful to know the time of prayers, and the annoying additions of the many sources of noise to which they are exposed.

As Kalla said, mosques should be not only places of worship but also places that strengthen social cohesion among followers.