Analyzing the Impact of High-Intensity Adhaan Sound Created by Amplifiers on the Children Playing at Fields Adjacent to Mosques at Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract

A man in his voice calls for prayer at parts of the world where there are practicing Muslims, known as ‘Adhaan’. The sound of Adhaan has a spiritual mandate to make people assert themselves in prayer. Dhaka is known as the city of mosques. Like many other Muslim residing parts of the world, for Adhaan, loudspeakers are also being used in Dhaka. The high-intensity sound of direct amplifiers often rises beyond acceptable public noise standard and destroys the sereneness of Adhaan. As there is a mosque in almost every 500 footsteps at Dhaka, Adhaan sounds of different mosques overlap. In this paper, 4 mosques from different residential areas have been taken which are adjacent to children’s playing fields. The intensity of ‘Magrib Adhaan’ (the evening prayer call) sound has been measured with a sound-level meter.The research has identified whether the Adhaan sound is within the acceptable limit and has addressed the vulnerability of being exposed to high-intensity sound on children. The study can help to make decisions about the use of amplifiers for Adhaan and can support people to sense the sereneness of Adhaan.