Rwanda has banned mosques in the capital from using loudspeakers during the call to prayer. As the BBC reports:
Rwanda bans Kigali mosques from using loudspeakers
Rwanda has banned mosques in the capital, Kigali, from using loudspeakers during the call to prayer.
They say the calls, made five times a day, have been disturbing residents of the Nyarugenge district, home to the capital’s biggest mosques.
But an official from a Muslim association criticised it, saying they could instead keep the volume down.
Some 1,500 churches have been closed for not complying with building regulations and noise pollution.
The majority of Rwandans are Christian. Muslims make up around 5% of the population.
The government says the Muslim community has complied with the ban.
Of course, this is not the first time the BBC has reported on efforts to ban this noise pollution. A year ago, this is how the BBC reported the same issue in Israel:
Israeli Arab anger as parliament backs ‘muezzin bill’
There were angry scenes in Israel’s parliament on Wednesday as preliminary approval was given to a bill that would restrict the use of outdoor loudspeakers by religious institutions.
Two versions of the so-called “muezzin bill”, which would mostly affect Muslim calls to prayer, passed their first readings by slim majorities.
Some Arab MPs ripped apart copies of the legislation during a debate.
The bill will have to go through further readings before becoming law.
Notice the differences?
BBC story on Rwanda
- Headline states that loudspeakers are banned
- Focus is on the disturbance to residents
BBC story on Israel
- Headline mentions muezzin bill, as if he is the one to be banned, even though bill deals only with the loudspeakers
- Focus is on the Arab anger at the supposed injustice of this (with photo also showing this)
If the BBC’s bias and double standards were not already clear to you, there should be now.
Thanks to Emanuel Miller for bringing this to our attention.
