The Times criticizes the Saudi authorities’ order to turn the volume down on the call to prayer

The Times newspaper has criticized the Saudi authorities’ order to lower the volume of the call of prayer on loudspeakers.
The newspaper published a report by its correspondent in the Middle East, Richard Spencer, in which he said that orders to lower the volume of the call to prayer were issued to mosques in Saudi Arabia, which is another sign of the religious establishment’s loss of power during the era of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The government has defended its decision, which limits the volume to a third of the potential of mosque speaker systems, claiming there have been complaints from neighbors and parents about the noise.
The circular issued by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs also banned the practice of broadcasting prayers and sermons over loudspeakers, as is common in many Islamic countries.
“Those who want to pray do not need to wait for the imam’s voice, they should be in the mosque beforehand,” the Minister of Islamic Affairs, Abdul Latif Al-Sheikh, said in a television interview with state television.