Loudspeakers in mosques

[3] Electrically amplified adhans have become commonplace in countries such as Turkey and Morocco,[4] whereas in others such as the Netherlands only 7 to 8% of all mosques employ loudspeakers for the call to prayer.

Though some mosque attendees were sceptical of this new electric system, most believed it was necessary to empower the muezzin's voice to transcend a modern city's noises.

[11] Limitation on calls to prayer by Muslims exist in countries including Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France, the UK, Austria, Norway, and Belgium.

[21] Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has recognized that the overzealous use of sound amplification by its many mosques is an environmental issue and appears to be taking official measures to curb the problem.

[22] However, in August 2018, a woman who complained of the volume of her local mosque's speakers was eventually given an 18-month prison sentence for blasphemy, while mobs burned 14 Buddhist temples following the news of her complaint against the loudspeakers.

[23] As a direct response to this incident, Indonesia's Ministry of Religious Affairs issued a circular on Adhan or the Islamic call to prayer, with guidelines on when and how it ought to be broadcast by mosques.

[27] On 14 May 2020 Newham Council followed suit, granting permission to nineteen mosques within the London borough to publicly broadcast its call to prayer during Ramadan.