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Kalla asks mosques to lower speaker volumes following Tanjung Balai riot
Vice President Jusuf Kalla has reminded mosques to keep the volume of their loudspeakers at a reasonable level so as not to cause disturbances in the wake of a riot in Tanjung Balai, North Sumatra last week following an argument over a mosque loudspeaker.
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Visitors enjoy the beauty of the Istiqlal Grand Mosque in Central Jakarta in this undated file photo. (thejakartapost.com/Winda Ayu Charmila)
V
ice President Jusuf Kalla has reminded mosques to keep the volume of their loudspeakers at a reasonable level so as not to cause disturbances in the wake of a riot in Tanjung Balai, North Sumatra last week following an argument over a mosque loudspeaker.
The riot in Tanjung Balai ended with 12 Buddhist temples burned down and looted, and it all started when a local complained over the sound level of a mosque's speakers near her home, Kalla said on Thursday.
"Speakers' volume must not be too high," he said in his opening speech in an event discussing mosques' roles to prevent deviant teachings in Jakarta as reported by tempo.co.
It was not the first time Kalla, who is also chairman of the Indonesian Mosque Council, urged mosques to lower their loudspeaker volumes as part of efforts to promote peace and harmony.
Indonesia, a democratic country with the largest Muslim population in the world, is also home to the largest numbers of mosques in the world with 800,000 spread nationwide, he said.
He said many mosques recited parts of the Quran over the loudspeaker prior to adzan (call to prayer) for nearly 30 minutes while it would only take less than that amount of time for people to arrive at mosques for prayers.
Eighteen people have been named suspects by local police following the riot last week. National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian, meanwhile, has blamed social media messages for inciting the violence. (rin)
