DUBAI (Al Arabiya)
Bahrain renewed a ban on the use of exterior loudspeakers in Mosques during prayers, ending a year-long contentious debate on the religiously sensitive issue in the Kingdom.
The decision was made by the Bahraini Sunni Endowment Department (Awqaf) of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs , which said that the blaring loudspeakers in mosques should not be used for anything other than the traditional Muslim call to prayer.
" Prayers are between a person and Allah, and there is no need to make one's prayers heard by people walking in the streets in markets "
Mohammed Ali al-Sitri
The religious authorities used SMS text messaging to instruct all callers to prayer, known as Muezzins, to respect the ban, but said the move is merely a regulatory one and an offense is only made if a complaint received.
"Prayers are between a person and Allah, and there is no need to make one's prayers heard by people walking in the streets and in markets," said Mohammed Ali al-Sitri , the King's Advisor for Legislative Authority Affairs.
Former Member of Parliament Hamad al-Mahindi opposed the ban saying, "There should be a manifestation of God's rituals during the holy month of Ramadan."
"There are people that want to hear the prayers through the loudspeaker," al-Mahindi added.
No comments:
Post a Comment