Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former minister K S Eshwarappa on Monday justify his controversial remarks on ‘Azaan’ saying that he was expressing the sentiments of the general public who face inconvenience due to the use of loudspeakers, especially during exams.
On Sunday, during the BJP’s Vijay Sankalp Yatra at Kavoor in Mangaluru, Eshwarappa said, “Wherever I go, this (Azaan) gives me a headache. The Supreme Court’s judgment is due. If not today, this call for Azaan will come to an end. Honourable PM Modi has asked us to respect all religions, but I must ask, can Allah hear only if you scream on a microphone?”
He further said that Hindus have more devotion than Muslims, but don’t use loudspeakers. “In temples, girls and women offer prayers and bhajans. We are religious, but we don’t use loudspeakers. If you have to call for prayers using loudspeakers, it means Allah is deaf,” he added.
Clarifying his statement on Monday, Eshwarappa said he did not mean to condemn any religion but was voicing the sentiments of the general public. “Exams are going on. Students who are writing the exams are disturbed when they listen to this (Azaan). I did ask whether Allah can’t hear or if he is deaf, true. But someone has to voice the sentiments of the general public. This is not condemning a religion. Allah can hear, but Muslims use three to four mics and shout. Will it go inside Allah’s ears?” Eshwarappa said.
Last year, he had accused the Muslim community of sparking communal tension in Shivamogga and alleged that “Muslim goondas” were involved in the murder of a 23-year-old man in the district. He had also accused Congress state chief DK Shivakumar of provoking “Muslim goondas”.
Azaan, has been a contentious issue in Karnataka, with Hindu groups demanding restrictions on the use of loudspeakers in mosques, failing which they had threatened to use loudspeakers in temples.
In July 2005, the Supreme Court banned the use of loudspeakers between 10pm to 6am except in cases of public emergencies. The apex court cited health impacts of noise pollution as the reason behind the ban. Later, in October 2005, the court said loudspeakers could be permitted to be used till midnight on festive occasions for 15 days a year.
Last year, the Karnataka high court, which was hearing a petition that claimed that the contents of Azaan hurt sentiments of those from other faiths, refused to issue any direction to mosques and observed that the contention that contents of Azaan violate the fundamental rights guaranteed to the people of other faiths cannot be accepted.
