Saudi Arabia restricts external loudspeakers in mosques

Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has issued directives to restrict the use of external loudspeakers in mosques across the country, local media reported.

The Minister of Islamic Affairs Sheikh Dr Abdul Latif bin Abdul Aziz Al Sheikh has set the number of external loudspeakers at four which are only to be used in mosques to make the prayer calls.

Dr Al-Sheikh instructed all imams to remove excess loudspeakers, if any, from mosques and store them in warehouses for later use or give them away to mosques that do not have enough.

The minister’s directives come about two months before the month of Ramzan, which is expected to fall on March 23.

In 2021, Abdul Latif Al Sheikh, issued a circular limiting the use of external loudspeakers to only use the loudspeakers for Azaan (call for prayer) and iqamah (the second call for the congregational prayer).

He added that the decision indicates that “the loudness level of the devices should not exceed one-third of the degree of the loudspeaker device.”