ionigeria.com Nigerian Newspaper
African cities have been forced to endure so much noise.
From record sellers to loudspeakers blaring from clubs and churches, the streets are a bedlam.
That is why Ghanaian authorities are asking mosques to stop using minarets for call to prayers as this compounds noise pollution.
The authorities are asking the mosques to consider using WhatsApp or text messages to call Muslims to prayers.
According to a report by Germany’s international public broadcaster, Deutsche Welle, DW this is part of measures by authorities in the Ghanaian capital Accra, to deal with the noise caused by places of worship, especially mosques.
“Why is it that time for prayer cannot be transmitted with text message or WhatsApp? So, the imam would send WhatsApp messages to everybody,” said environment minister Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng.
“I think that will help to reduce the noise. This may be controversial but it’s something that we can think about,” he told DW.
The government says it is hopeful such a change could contribute to a reduction in excessive noise.
For many Muslims living in the capital, the idea of a mobile call to prayer is more difficult to embrace.
Fadama community mosque imam, Sheik Usan Ahmed, told DW that although he agrees that the level of noise could be reduced, relying on text and WhatsApp messages could also have economic implications.
“The imam is not paid monthly. Where would he get the money to be doing that?
“We try to practice what is possible. So, the text message or any other message is not a problem.
“But I don’t think it is necessary,” Ahmed said.
