Minister Yaqut Qoumas on Mosque Loudspeaker Regulation

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas’ policy on Ramadan worship has sparked controversy. Through Circular Letter No. 1/2024 regarding the Guidelines for the Implementation of Ramadan and Idul Fitri Worship Services, Yaqut requested Muslims to refer to the guidelines for the use of mosque loudspeakers during religious activities, which he signed in February 2022.

The regulation governs loudspeakers inside and outside mosques and limits the volume to 100 decibels. Following the announcement of the regulation at the time, Yaqut was berated for analogizing azans (calls to prayers) from multiple mosques to dog barks. This time, he was also lambasted for restricting syiar (propagation). “Please do criticize if the aim is to improve the policy,” he said.

The National Awakening Party (PKB) politician said it was not easy to implement the loudspeaker guidelines in more than 200,000 mosques around Indonesia, particularly when the regulations still have shortcomings. One is the sound volume unit, which proved difficult for village mosque administrators to understand. Yaqut claimed to be in the process of improving these regulations.

Yaqut received Tempo reporters at his office in Central Jakarta on Friday, March 15. During the one-and-a-half-hour interview, he explained the plan to designate religious affairs offices (KUA) as service centers for all faiths and his political plans within the PKB. “I have the ideals and capacity to lead the party to become greater,” he asserted. Excerpts of the interview:

The mosque loudspeaker policy has stirred controversy. What is the background?

Preventing wrongdoing is better than pursuing goodness. I studied several documents, including the Instruction of the Islamic Community Guidance Directorate-General of 1978, which governs the use of loudspeakers in mosques, but they were not strong enough. We tried to strengthen it with the ministerial degree, which became controversial after (what I said) was taken out of context as if I were comparing calls to prayers to dog barks.

How important is it to regulate the use of mosque loudspeakers?

I believe that specific benefits should not outweigh general benefits. As regards mosque loudspeakers, Muslims need speakers to remind them of prayer times. But they also need to understand that there are people who live around mosques, such as the elderly and the sick, who could be disturbed by loud noises.

What are the benefits of your policy?

I hope that the Muslim population, the majority of Indonesia, becomes part of an amicable and nurturing community, who are tolerant not only to non-Muslims but also to other communities around them.

Is there a political element in your criticism regarding the mosque loudspeaker regulations?

I don’t know if there is a political dimension to it or not. But criticism is fine, so feel free to criticize if warranted because criticism can improve the regulation. Please do criticize if the aim is to improve the policy.

As a self-criticism, which part of the loudspeaker regulation is still imperfect?

Regarding sound measurement, the regulation stipulates that the maximum volume of sound should be 100 decibels. But not everyone, especially mosque administrators in villages, understands decibels. We try to find a definition or other sound measuring tools through discussions at the Mosque Welfare Agency.

How did you arrive at that measurement?

From several references, such as those from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, we felt the urgent need to regulate it, so the regulation was issued first, and we would discuss again the intensity of the sound.

Could the regulation be implemented, given hundreds of thousands of mosques across Indonesia?

I’m sure we could because we have instruments from top to bottom. Around 200,000 mosques are registered with the Religious Affairs Ministry. We also have an instrument outside the Indonesia Mosque Council, namely the Mosque Welfare Agency, which has 100,000 mosques as members. We pushed them to coordinate with the Indonesia Mosque Council to relay the policy and the regulation. It’s just a matter of time as long as we are consistent.

Read the Full Interview in Tempo English Magazine