Rwanda bans mosques from using loudspeakers for call to prayer

An official from a Muslim association criticises the harsh decision, saying they could instead keep the volume down

Rwanda has banned mosques from using loudspeakers during call to prayer in the capital, Kigali.

Residents of the Nyarugenge district, home to the capital’s biggest mosques, are facing 'disturbance' by the loud prayer call that happens five times a day, according to BBC.

An official from a Muslim association criticised the hard decision, saying this situation could have been managed in another way, either by keeping the volume down.



Around 700 churches were shut down for not complying with building regulation and noise pollution, just one month ago.

Muslim population at Rwadan is only around 5%, as majority living there are Christians. The government said the Muslim community has complied with the ban.



"I have found that they have begun to respect it and it has not stopped their followers from going to pray according to their praying time," Havuguziga Charles, a local official from Nyarugenge said.

This happens as the government continues its restriction on substandard churches across East Africa country. The government also said the reason is that some preachers "deceive their congregation with misleading sermons".

This article originally appeared on BBC.