Israel bans mosques from using loudspeakers to broadcast call to prayer, opposition slams decision

Tel Aviv, Israel

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has instructed police to ban mosques from broadcasting the Adhan, or Islamic call to prayer over loudspeakers, confirmed a Channel 12 report. 

He further directed the police to confiscate the loudspeaker equipment found to be used in the mosques, according to the report. 

The mosques found to be using the loudspeakers to call for prayer would also be fined. 

Ben Gvir in a post on X, said that he is "proud" to introduce the policy, which according to him, will put an end to the "unreasonable noise from mosques, which has become a hazard for the residents of Israel.”

“In our debates, it arose that most Western countries, and even some Arab countries, limit the noise and have many laws on the matter. It’s only neglected in Israel,” Ben Gvir’s office said in a statement.

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Policy condemned by opposition

However, the members of Israel's opposition have condemned the policy, including Labor MK Gilad Kariv, who posted on X, saying that Ben Gvir "endangers the State of Israel” and warns that he “won’t stop until in the end, a match sets the barrel on fire.”

Moreover, the leader of the United Arab List condemned the decision and accused Ben Gvir of fuelling divisions and targeting mosques after failing to provoke violence at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque. 

"Ben Gvir is constantly trying to sabotage coexistence," Abbas wrote on X.

'War on Islam and Christianity'

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) also condemned the ban and called for Muslim-majority nations to take concrete action to end the Israeli government’s genocide.

“A war on Islam and Christianity has always been a major component of the far-right Israeli government’s genocide targeting the Palestinian people. Attacks on mosques, churches, cultural sites, and religious texts are all part of the decades-long Israeli campaign to erase Palestinian culture," CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said. 

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"We repeat our call on Muslim-majority nations to use their collective power and take concrete actions to end this genocide," Awad added. 

He further said that the Biden administration must speak out strongly to condemn the videotaped burning of copies of the Quran and destruction of mosques by Israeli soldiers in Gaza, adding that the US should end sending weapons to the Israeli government to force an end to the genocide. 

Disclaimer: WION takes the utmost care to accurately and responsibly report conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, Syria, Iraq, and non-state actors like the Islamic State, among others. In this context, claims and counterclaims are being made online and offline. WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos, and videos.

(With inputs from agencies)