Raj Thackeray has warned courts that loudspeakers installed at mosques in Maharashtra should be switched off by May 3, otherwise MNS workers will recite Hanuman Chalisa by using loudspeakers. After this statement of Thackeray, the debate has again erupted across the country regarding loudspeakers.
This is not the first time that this controversy regarding the loudspeaker of the mosque and the spread of Azaan through it had begun. Even before this, many times earlier in the country there has been a ruckus over Azaan with loudspeakers. The matter also reached the court.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray was addressing a program. He said, ‘The loudspeakers in mosques should be switched off by May 3, otherwise we will recite Hanuman Chalisa with loudspeakers.
This is a social issue, not religious. And I want to tell the state government that we will not go back on this matter, do whatever you want to do. He also appealed to the Prime Minister of India to raid mosques in Muslim areas of Mumbai and said that the people living there are pro-Pakistan.
Sonu Nigam once made four tweets one after the other. And within a few hours, this tweet created a ruckus in the entire country. Sonu wrote in his tweet, “God take care of everyone. I am not even a Muslim, still, I have to wake up because of Azaan. When will this imposed religiosity end? And by the way, when Mohammed made Islam, there was no electricity so why do I have to hear this hoarse voice?”
Sonu was upset with the loudspeaker of the mosque. For the first time, this tweet started as a discussion regarding Azaan from the loudspeaker. Many people supported Sonu however, many people opposed it. A fatwa was also issued against Sonu.
Aas Mohammad, a resident of Sonipat, had filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the statement of singer Sonu Nigam regarding Azaan.
To this, the court said, “There is no doubt that Azaan is an intrinsic part of Islam, but it is not necessary that it should be through loudspeakers.” The bench of Justice AS Bedi, while hearing the petition that was filed against Sonu Nigam, said, “This petition has been filed to gain cheap popularity. He did not use the word ‘goondagardi’ for Azaan but for the loudspeaker.”
Then on 17th March 2021, Allahabad University Vice-Chancellor a letter from Sangeeta Srivastava then came into the limelight. Prof. Sangeeta’s husband Justice Vikramnath Srivastava was the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court at that time.
Sangeeta wrote a letter to the district administration against the loudspeaker. In this, she had told that the loud sound of Azaan coming from a mosque near her house does not allow her to sleep properly.
