Mumbai mosques go digital with ‘azan app’ to overcome loudspeaker curbs

MUMBAI: In the backdrop of curbs over the use of loudspeakers, half-a-dozen mosques in Mumbai have registered on a dedicated mobile phone application which relays the ‘azan’, or call to prayer, directly to the faithful in real-time.The app, Online Azan, has been developed by a Tamil Nadu-based company.Given the restrictions and sensitivities surrounding the use of loudspeakers for the call to prayer, the dedicated mobile app helps relay the azan directly to worshippers from local mosques, Fahad Khalil Pathan, managing trustee of Mahim Juma Masjid, told PTI.The free app will allow users to listen to the azan at home, especially during Ramzan (the Islamic holy month of fasting) and other times when public announcements are restricted, he explained.”The initiative comes after a police crackdown on the use of loudspeakers, where officers visited the mosque (Juma Masjid) and warned loudspeaker use could result in action. This led to the mosque temporarily disabling its sound system,” Pathan stated.To ensure that spiritual experience remains uninterrupted, especially for the elderly and those residing nearby (the mosque), the Juma Masjid in the Mahim area has adopted the app, he said.The app was developed with technical support from a team of IT professionals from Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu, and is now available on Android devices and iPhones.The app plays a live audio stream of the azan through mobile phones, exactly when it is delivered from the mosque.



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