Cairo: A decision by Egypt’s Islamic authorities, banning the use of loudspeakers during Taraweeh prayers in Ramadan, has drawn sharp criticism.
The Ministry of Auqaf, which oversees mosques in Egypt, said the ban is limited to the use of loudspeakers during the Taraweeh prayers in order to to avoid noise.
Minister of Auqaf Mukhtar Jumaa, who is leading an anti-militancy campaign, defended the ban.
“Loudspeakers in mosques are not mentioned in the Quran,” he said, referring to Islam’s holy book that is the main source of Islamic jurisprudence.
“The aim of this decision is to regulate the use of loudspeakers and avoid disturbing people living next to mosques,” he said this week in the Nile Delta province of Dakahlia.
“Another aim is to ensure that there will be no cacophony resulting from loudspeakers of various mosques located in the same area”.
Jumaa’s argument has failed to impress the critics.
“The decision to ban the use of loudspeakers during the Taraweeh prayers have provoked the feelings of Egyptians,” said MP Amin Masoud.
“Loudspeakers are used during the Taraweeh prayers even in the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah,” the lawmaker added, citing Islam’s holiest mosques in Saudi Arabia.
MP Masoud, who belongs to the pro-government Egypt Support Coalition, said in a statement that he will request the Minister of Auqaf to appear in parliament over the ban.
“This decision [ban] must be cancelled,” the lawmaker said.
The government has tightened its grip on mosques across the country since 2013 when the army toppled Islamist President Mohammad Mursi following enormous street protests against his rule.
The governmental restrictions have denied Mursi’s now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and allied groups a main forum to influence devout Muslims in the country.
Egyptian religious authorities this week warned unlicensed clerics against delivering sermons in mosques during Ramadan that begins on Saturday.
The warning is seen as part of an ongoing crackdown on Islamists.
