Row over speakers on Indonesian ‘island of 1,000 mosques’ sparks debate on compromise

A confrontation between a foreign tourist and residents on a popular Indonesian holiday island has reignited debate over the regulation of mosque loudspeakers in the Muslim-majority country. The dispute, involving a New Zealand national on Gili Trawangan, has drawn fresh attention to whether related government guidelines on the use of such speakers should instead become a binding law. On February 18, the woman disrupted a Koran recitation night session at a musalla – a small prayer room – near her villa on Gili Trawangan, about a two-hour ferry ride from Bali. Often described as a party island, Gili Trawangan is part of Muslim-majority Lombok, also known as “the island of a thousand mosques”. Residents said she had complained about the use of loudspeakers during the recitation. A commotion erupted after she unplugged a microphone, angering locals. Muhammad Husni, the local village head, told news outlet Detik that the woman had also “scratched a resident and caused a religious figure in the musalla to fall” during the confrontation, which later went viral on social media. The argument continued until midnight and culminated in her threatening residents with two machetes, Husni said. Immigration officials later said her tourist visa expired on January 30, which could be grounds for deportation, according to the East Lombok Immigration Office. Authorities attributed the incident to a lack of understanding of local Ramadan traditions. “Residents must explain that there are traditions in our country that can run up to midnight, especially in Lombok, which is the island of a thousand mosques. These traditions must be understood by those who visit,” Inspector General Edy Murbowo, head of West Nusa Tenggara police, said on Friday, as cited by Kompas. “The foreigner in question was unfamiliar with our customs and traditions, leading to her outburst. A meeting has been held to provide an understanding to the person concerned.” Regulating speakers The incident in Gili Trawangan has sparked a debate on whether loudspeaker usage at mosques should be legislated, which has been a lingering issue in Indonesia. In 2018, a complaint about loudspeaker volume at a mosque in North Sumatra turned into a racially charged, blasphemy case against a Chinese-Indonesian woman named Meliana. She was jailed for 18 months after complaining about the high volume of speakers at the mosque, a comment that led to mobs attacking her home and burning at least 14 Buddhist temples. Islamic leaders have voiced support for the appropriate use of loudspeakers at mosques. Guidelines on such speakers have been in place since 2022, but their implementation has been inadequate due to a lack of oversight, according to observers. “The use of outdoor loudspeakers should be limited, especially late at night. After 10pm, it is recommended to use only the speakers inside the mosque to avoid disturbing people’s sleep,” Ahmad Fahrur Rozi, chairman of the executive board at Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia’s largest Muslim group, told reporters on Saturday, as quoted by Detik. “Reading the Koran is a very noble act of worship, but if it is done in a way that disturbs the peace of society, it can become makruh [rejected] or even haram [forbidden].” In 2022, the Ministry of Religious Affairs issued a circular on guidelines for loudspeaker usage in mosques and prayer rooms. Among the guidelines, volume should not exceed 100 decibels, and Koran verses reading should only be aired through outdoor speakers for a maximum of five minutes before each call to prayer and up to 10 minutes before the call to Friday prayers. Internal loudspeakers should be used throughout Ramadan, during tarawih prayers, Islamic lectures and Koran recitation, according to the circular, which is not legally binding. “The biggest challenge on the ground is the attitude of some [mosque administrators] who use loudspeakers, who believe that the state lacks the legitimacy to regulate their use. This has resulted in [the guidelines] not being followed,” Halili Hasan, executive director of NGO Setara Institute, which promotes religious tolerance, said in an interview. Halili voiced support for the circular to be made into law, including punishments for violators. “Regulations and law enforcement are necessary for inclusive, diverse governance. Such regulations would be unnecessary if society could build mutual respect for differences within that diversity,” he said. Imam Addaruqutni, secretary general at the Indonesian Mosque Council, said the council formulated the guidance on loudspeakers with the Ministry of Religion Affairs in 2022 so that “mosque caretakers could be considerate about residents’ rest time, as people, especially in urban and technocratic societies, need their sleep”. “The problem isn’t just about the noise, but the quality of solemnity, which is important in society. Mosques are aware of this, but there’s no balance between the desire to spread spirituality and maintaining tranquillity,” Imam said. In January, Jusuf Kalla, the council’s chairman, said “around 75 per cent” of all mosques in the country “have sound systems that need operational repair, because the people who install them were sometimes the children who live at the mosque, so the only important thing for them is that the loudspeakers work”. There are more than 706,000 mosques and musallas in Indonesia as of February, according to data from the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Fewer mosques use external loudspeakers excessively nowadays due to “growing awareness” of the impact of the high volume of mosque speakers on society, according to Imam. “There needs to be better dialogue within the community. There’s a trend that mosques are already honouring the wishes of the community for a serene atmosphere, but building a culture is a process, it takes time, and it can’t be engineered,” Imam said.

Row over speakers on Indonesian ‘island of 1,000 mosques’ sparks debate on compromise

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}A New Zealander’s disruption of a prayer session over the use of loudspeakers at a mosque has prompted some to call for a law on their use

A New Zealander’s disruption of a prayer session over the use of loudspeakers at a mosque has prompted some to call for a law on their use