Did the Moroccan Ministry of Habous ban loudspeakers in mosques ?

Did the Moroccan Ministry of Endowment and Islamic Affairs (Habous) ban mosques from using loudspeakers during Taraweeh prayers in Ramadan ? Recent reports by local media have suggested that the ministry’s regional delegation in Chtouka Ait Baha, a province in the Souss-Massa region, has reportedly issued the ban.

These reports relied on a document issued by the Regional Delegation for Islamic Affairs in Chtouka Ait Baha, which prohibits the use of silos' loudspeakers when reading Quran and during the five prayers and Taraweeh prayers.

The document, signed by the regional delegate, confirms that the decision was based on the requirements of the Imam, Preacher and Preacher's Manual, and attributes the reason for the decision to the interference it causes to neighboring mosques.

Speaking to Yabiladi, a source from the Regional Delegation for Islamic Affairs in Chtouka Ait Baha confirmed that the document is authentic but misinterpreted. The same source explained that «the ban concerns only silo speakers, those used at the top of minarets for the call to prayer», the same source stressed.