Sonu Nigam Calls ‘Azaan’ a Disturbance

At 5:25 am today, a frustrated Bollywood singer Sonu Nigam took to Twitter to complain of Azaan, a morning prayer call for Muslims, blared through a loudspeaker. He  found it annoying and a disturbance. Soon, social media took over.

Bollywood singer Sonu Nigam today took to twitter to complain about his sleep being disturbed by morning Azaan, a prayer call blared through loudspeakers from a nearby mosque at 5:25 am near his Mumbai residence.

In a series of tweets, the singer expressed, “God bless everyone. I’m not a Muslim and I have to be woken up by the Azaan in the morning. When will this forced religiousness end in India”.

Here are the series of tweets-

God bless everyone. I’m not a Muslim and I have to be woken up by the Azaan in the morning. When will this forced religiousness end in India

— Sonu Nigam (@sonunigam) April 16, 2017

And by the way Mohammed did not have electricity when he made Islam.. Why do I have to have this cacophony after Edison?

— Sonu Nigam (@sonunigam) April 17, 2017

I don’t believe in any temple or gurudwara using electricity To wake up people who don’t follow the religion . Why then..? Honest? True?

— Sonu Nigam (@sonunigam) April 17, 2017

Singer tweeted about the alleged ‘disturbance’ at 5:25 am today.

Although many users on social media agreed with Sonu Nigam there were some who believed that India is a diverse country and the citizens in our country are tightly knit with tolerance and acceptance.

The issue of religious activities causing a disturbance — be it Azaan or Ganesh Chathurthi celebrations or kirtans from Gurudwara — has been making noise for a very long time.

There have been many arguments in the past about the how Azaan is a must for a Muslim but using a loudspeaker isn’t and many people agreed.

Also Read: Rattled Muslim Law Board Modifies Stand on Triple Talaq

In 2014, an activist in Mumbai filed a petition with the Bombay High Court about illegal use of loudspeakers in addition to the violation of the Noise Pollution (Control and Regulation) Rules, 2000 have used loudspeakers much above the permissible decibel levels.

The standard guidelines as per the Noise Pollution Norms in a residential area are 55 decibels during a day and 45 decibels at nights.

The Bombay High Court then directed the police last week to remove “illegal” loudspeakers from mosques. Many in the community have welcomed the verdict.

Unfortunately, there’s nobody to monitor the violations of noise pollution.

It is not only a question about Azaan but also the chants in Hindu temples or the noise caused during Ganesh Chathurthi. In utopian state religious practices would stay indoors for a Muslim or a Hindu.

Now let’s not ban Sonu Nigam’s songs for expressing his opinion and give practicing religion indoors a serious thought!