JK Urges Mosques To Turn Down Speaker Volume To Maintain Ramadan Peace

General Chairman of the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI) Jusuf Kalla when met in Jakarta, Friday (24/03/2023) (ANTARA/Fitra Ashari)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI) Central Executive Jusuf Kalla appealed to mosque administrators to reduce the volume of speakers from the mosque to maintain serenity, especially during the month of Ramadan.

"Not only in the month of Ramadan, but the speakers also should not exceed each other (the noise), so the volume should be reduced so that they do not collide with each other. The call to prayer does not collide with each other, because the call to prayer when the mosques are close together, all the call to prayer are too loud, the joy is lost," he said as reported by ANTARA, Friday, March 24.

This appeal is also part of the DMI program to prosper mosques, and has been intensively carried out in tens of thousands of mosques in Indonesia by making repairs.

DMI has also set a target for the next five years all mosques will have good loudspeakers and with sufficient volume so as not to diminish the solemnity of the call to prayer.

Apart from that, Jusuf Kalla also appealed to mosque administrators apart from turning down the speaker volume, not to take too long if you want to recite the Koran before calling the call to prayer.

"Don't take too long, only five minutes (reciting the prayer before the call to prayer). The call to prayer is already a summons, you have to maintain serenity," he said.

The 10th and 12th Vice Presidents of the Republic of Indonesia said that during Indonesia's transition from a pandemic to a post-COVID-19 endemic, mosques in Indonesia are currently busy and there are no restrictions on congregations.

This also coincides with the government's call to stop the Implementation of Restricting Community Activities (PPKM) since December 2022.

"Incredibly, mosques in Indonesia are very busy everywhere. The government issued a notification letter last December for PPKM, so that means people are free," he said.

Jusuf Kalla, who is fondly called JK, also encourages young people to participate in the prosperity of the mosque so that it remains comfortable to use for worship, by fostering mosque youth to maintain and maintain the cleanliness of the mosque.

Meanwhile, ahead of the political year, Jusuf Kalla asked candidates for members of the legislature and those who will run for elections not to use mosques as places for campaigning so as not to divide the people.

"It is not permissible to campaign at the mosque at all. If a presidential candidate, governor candidate, regent candidate, or DPR candidate wants to pray at the mosque, it is obligatory, it cannot be prohibited. But coming cannot talk about campaigning," he said firmly.