MALAPPURAM: People in Muslim-majority Malappuram district decided to be part of the solution and not the problem and therefore have come up with a positive collective move.
In order to curb noise pollution, the mosques in Vazhakkad has decided that only a single ‘Azaan’, will be delivered by the biggest mosque in the area, the Valiya Juma Masjid and the other small mosques will only repeat it without using loudspeakers.
To promote community involvement and to keep the practice intact, an agreement has been signed by all the 17 mosques in the region
As a part of the agreement, two factions of Sunni and Mujahid (Salafi), Tableeg Jamath and Jamate Islami have stopped the use of loudspeakers since last Sunday.
TP Abdul Azeez, President, Vazhakkad Mosques Committee, speaking to Deccan Chronicle said, “The decision was in response to the public opinion to regulate the indiscriminate use of loudspeakers that had caused inconvenience to nearby educational institutions, merchants and even general public and should be stopped.”
“We have been practicing it for the past five days,” Azeez added.
To unify the timing of Azaan, a five-member panel has also been constituted which also consult Sayed Naser Hay, the chief Qazi of Kozhikode.
Most interestingly, the authorities of various mosques lauded the latest initiative and have also decided to follow the suit.
The sound of the Azaan has become a debating issue in India after an acclaimed singer picks on the morning Islamic call to prayer alone and declares it as “gundagardi”.