Amid loudspeaker controversy, students launch city's first live streaming azaan app ‘Al-Islaah’

New Delhi: In a bid to amicably resolve the loudspeaker row, a group of four third-year IT undergraduate students of Maharashtra College began creating ‘Al-Islaah’, an azaan (call to prayer) app for the Muslim community. In the backdrop of the raging controversy about ‘azaan’ on loudspeakers muted many believers of peace, the students launched this app on Wednesday which will be available on both android and iOS platforms.

The Azaan app comes with several features and prominently focuses on live streaming azaan or call to prayer, which is made five times a day.

One can say that a 17th-century iconic mosque located in Mumbai’s bustling Kalbadevi neighbourhood has taken a 21st-century step with this mobile phone application.

Shoaib Khatib, chairman of the mosque's trust, said, “The loudspeaker guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court are not only for Azan but for everyone. But the issue of targeting Muslims for political gain was raised by a party. Due to the argument that followed, we considered what options there might be to resolve this in a meeting. First of all we thought of getting a radio frequency. But it requires many permissions. So we finally decided to create an app. In this app you can listen to the morning azaan, which was protested a few months ago to be played on loudspeakers.”

The use of loudspeakers for sounding azan has become a full-blown political issue after MNS Chief Raj Thackeray highlighted the issue during his public meeting for the first time two months ago. In his Gudi Padwa speech, Thackeray threatened that if the practice of using “illegal” loudspeakers was not put an end to after the holy month of Ramadan got over (May 2), he would retaliate by playing the Hanuman Chalisa (on an even louder volume than the azan) outside mosques.