Is Allah deaf?: Karnataka BJP MLA's controversial remarks on 'Azaan'

The senior BJP leader's remark is likely to stoke the azaan debate again, which had reached the high court last year.

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA KS Eshwarappa has stirred a fresh controversy in poll-bound Karnataka by stating that "does Allah listen only if the Azaan prayers are played on loudspeakers."

Addressing a public gathering in Mangaluru, Eshwarappa said, "Wherever I go, this (Azaan) is a headache for me. There's SC (Supreme Court) judgment, today or tomorrow it'll be finished. No doubt in it... Can Allah only hear if you shout with a mike? Even we do Puja, women do bhajans. But if Allah can hear only if they use a mike, we have to call him deaf. There's no need, this problem must soon be cleared."

"Hindus also pray in temples. We have more faith than them and it's Bharat mata who protects religions. But if you say that Allah listens only if you pray using a microphone, I must question if He's deaf. This issue must be resolved," he added.

The senior BJP leader's remark is likely to stoke the azaan debate again, which had reached the high court last year.

The Azaan debate in India refers to the use of loudspeakers to broadcast the Muslim call to prayer, known as the Azaan, from mosques. The issue has been a source of controversy in India for many years, with some people arguing that the use of loudspeakers for the Azaan violates noise pollution laws and violates the fundamental right of people of other faiths.

However, the Karnataka High Court had last August ruled 'azan' (Muslim call to prayer) on loudspeakers does not violate the fundamental right of people of other faiths. It, therefore, refused to order mosques to stop playing azan on loudspeakers.

The court, however, directed the authorities to implement rules about noise pollution and restriction on using loudspeakers. It directed authorities to "ensure that loudspeakers and public address systems and sound producing instruments and other musical instruments shall not be permitted to be used of the permissible decibel during the night between 10 pm to 6 am."