The Palestinian Supreme Fatwa Council has vehemently rejected a new Israeli legislative proposal aimed at banning the use of loudspeakers for the Adhan, or call to prayer, from mosques in occupied Palestinian territories. The council described the proposed law as a direct assault on religious rituals and a racist measure that violates international laws, religious norms, and humanitarian principles.
The council’s strong condemnation follows an announcement by the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, led by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, regarding its intention to advance a new bill prohibiting the use of loudspeakers in mosques within the so-called “Green Line.” Ben-Gvir has previously described the sound of the Adhan as “noise pollution” that harms the quality of life and health of Jewish residents.
According to Israel’s Channel 14, the proposed legislation stipulates that “no loudspeaker system shall be erected or operated in a mosque without prior authorization,” imposing stricter controls and hefty financial penalties on violators.
In a strongly worded statement, the council denounced the proposed law, slated to be presented to the Knesset, as “racist and contrary to laws, customs, and heavenly laws.” The council further stated that “the occupation’s measures target mosques in general, and Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Ibrahimi Mosque in particular, in a new crime that comes within the framework of Israeli policies of abuse, repression, blatant interference in matters of worship, and attacks on religious rituals throughout the Palestinian territories.”
The Fatwa Council views the bill as another link in a chain of crimes committed by the occupation authorities and extremist settlers against Islamic holy sites, referring to what it described as “settler aggression in the Palestinian governorates, including the burning and desecration of mosques.”
The council emphasized that “the call emanating from the minarets of mosques will not be silenced, no matter how hard the occupation authorities try to impose fines and penalties,” affirming that the Adhan is “linked to faith and belief, and is an inherited Islamic ritual, not, as the occupation portrays it, a source of disturbance.”
The statement further asserted that “the thinking of the occupation authorities is bizarre and sterile, and comes within the framework of an aggressive attempt to obliterate Islamic history and impose a false Judaizing character on the region,” warning that these policies could lead to further escalation. The council called on the international community to intervene and pressure Israel to cease its violations of religious freedom and international law.
