“The use of loudspeakers for Friday sermons, Eid prayers and the call for prayer will continue until judgment day,” said Secretary of the Ministry of Religious Endowments Sheikh Fouad Abdel Azim during a heated discussion that took place during a meeting of the parliamentary religious committee on Sunday.
MP Salwa Omara, however, told MPs that they had misunderstood her when she asked why loudspeakers for Friday sermons and religious lessons were not confined to the inner courtyards of mosques.
“You misunderstood me, I didn’t mean that loudspeakers shouldn’t be used for the call for prayer or for the Friday sermon,” she said. “However, some imams use offensive language when talking about women and girls, and anyone listening will think we are loose women and girls.”
She went on to say that some imams discuss the hijab (headscarf) in a way that might frighten young girls who wish to wear the veil.
Abdel Azim asked Omara to provide the names of such mosques, saying that no imams in mosques affiliated with the Ministry of Endowments use offensive language.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
