JAKARTA - The Supreme Islamic Council of Fatwa in Palestine condemned the Israeli draft law which seeks to limit the azan, a call that indicates the time for Muslims to pray in mosques.
The proposed bill would require official permission to operate loudspeakers in any mosque, based on criteria such as the level of sound and the location of the mosque.
In its statement on Sunday, the council said the measures targeted mosques in general, and specifically Al-Aqsa Mosque and Ibrahimi Mosque, calling the bill a new crime in Israel's policy of oppression, interference in religious affairs, and attacks on Islamic rituals throughout Palestine, quoted from WAFA (29/12).
Furthermore, the council emphasized, the call to prayer from the mosque tower cannot be silenced, regardless of fines or punishments, because it is an integral part of the Islamic faith and inherited religious practices.
The council also criticized the bill as a misguided attempt to erase Islamic history and impose a false judaization of the region, warning that it could spark a wider religious war.
The council also called on the international community, including countries, governments and specialized organizations, to intervene to stop attacks on mosques and prevent Israeli interference in Muslim worship, as well as describing the bill as racist and contrary to international law, norms and divine law.
As previously reported, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir along with the Chairman of the Knesset National Security Committee Zvika Vogel are advancing legislation that will further restrict the azan in the occupied Palestinian territories, by turning religious oppression into a "public order" and law enforcement problem.
The proposed bill would ban the installation or operation of loudspeakers in mosques without a permit, by making approval no longer automatic but subject to what the text describes as "careful examination."
If passed, the law would apply broadly across all of Israel's occupied territories.
Based on the draft law, operating a loudspeaker system without a permit will be fined 50,000 shekels, while violations of existing permit provisions will be fined 10,000 shekels.
The bill further authorizes law enforcement officers to act directly at the scene, expanding law enforcement actions beyond fines.
In addition to sanctions, the proposal gives officers the authority to seize equipment in the field, which effectively allows for the immediate seizure of mosque loudspeaker systems during law enforcement actions by the Israeli Police.
"In many places, the noise of the call to prayer is unreasonable and detrimental to the quality of life and health of residents. This is an unacceptable phenomenon. The Israeli police will act decisively to enforce the law, and the proposed law gives them the tools they have always needed," Ben-Gvir said, as reported by Al Mayadeen (29/12).
Meanwhile, critics have warned that similar initiatives disproportionately target Palestinian and Muslim communities and risk further entrenching discriminatory practices under the guise of regulation, quoted from Roya News.
Last year, Ben-Gvir instructed the head of the Israeli police to begin confiscating loudspeakers used for the call to prayer in mosques, especially in Palestinian cities in the 1948 occupied territories, under the pretext that "the azan disturbs the settlers."
According to Israeli media, Ben-Gvir also called for fines to be imposed in cases where confiscation of loudspeakers is not possible.
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