Chairman of the Central Indonesian Muslim Scholars Association (ICMI Muda), Tumpal Panggabean condemned the statement of Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas who analogized the sound of the azan with the barking of dogs.
“The words of the Minister of Trade hurt and disappointed muslims. Of course this is unacceptable and we strongly condemn the statement of the minister,” Tumpal Panggabean told jpnn.com when confirmed on Thursday (24/2). According to this doctor of philosophy of political thought, the narrative conveyed by Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut when explaining the rules of loudspeakers in mosques issued by the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Pekanbaru, Riau Province, is too cornering Muslims.
Supposedly, he continued, Minister yaqut Cholil Qoumas understood that the sound of azan for Muslims is a holy and noble call. “This minister is a Muslim, of course he (The Minister) understands and knows how the azan means for Muslims,” he explained. Tumpal explained, since the beginning of Circular Letter No. 5 of 2022 on guidelines for the use of loudspeakers in mosques and musala issued, ICMI Muda firmly refused and asked for the circular to be withdrawn.
The reason, the rule is not appropriate because it is too technical to regulate the use of loudspeakers. Ideally, continued the Vice Chairman of the Alumni Fraternity (PA) 212 North Sumatra, the minister did not regulate technical matters about how to worship Muslims. What’s more, added the man born in North Sumatra, related to the use of loudspeakers is not something that is a problem in the community.
“For a muslim-majority society, it takes a long time to worship. While the muslim minority community, of course, has local wisdom also in worship,” he said.
Earlier, Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas made a controversial statement in the community, regarding the new rules he passed on the use of loudspeakers in mosques and musala.
Initially Gus Yaqut said that the purpose of SE Rule No. 5 of 2022, which regulates the time and volume of the use of loudspeakers before and after the prayer was to maintain harmony between religious people.
“This circular was issued with the aim that no other religious people are disturbed,” gus Yaqut said during a visit to Pekanbaru, Riau on Wednesday (23/2).
According to him, loudspeakers can still be used by Muslims to worship as long as they do not interfere with the comfort of other religious people. “It is regulated how the volume should not be hard, a maximum of 100 decibels. There’s no ban. This rule is made solely to make society more harmonious,” he said. Gus Yaqut said the guidelines he made were aimed at increasing benefits and reducing the unsannable.
He said in Idnonesia with a muslim majority, there are many mosques nearby. “We imagine, I’m Muslim, I live in a non-Muslim neighborhood, then their house of worship rings the toa five times loudly at the same time, that’s how it feels?” he said.
Even Yaqut exemplifies the condition like a Muslim who lives in the non-Muslim majority and hears the sound of dogs sling around the house. “For example, suppose our neighbor, left right back and back, for example, barking at the same time, we are disturbed no? This means that all the voices must be arranged so as not to become a disturbance,” gus Yaqut said. Therefore, he emphasized that loudspeakers in mosques and musala can be used, but arranged so that no one feels disturbed. “We have to respect those who are different from us. Support for this is also a lot,” Yaqut said.
