Sunni Endowment sets loudspeaker guidelines for mosques ahead of Ramadan

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Sunni Endowment Office issued new guidelines to mosques ahead of the month of Ramadan, instructing them to lower loudspeaker volumes in residential areas and mute external speakers during dawn prayers, according to an official document.

In a directive circulated to all Sunni Endowment departments, the office said the guidance was issued “based on the direction of the director general” and in preparation for Ramadan.

In Islam, Muslims perform five daily prayers at prescribed times throughout the day, beginning before dawn and ending at night, as a central act of worship and religious obligation.

The document instructed mosques to “select those with melodious voices to deliver the call to prayer and audible prayers, as they represent one of the methods of religious outreach.”

It also called for preparing internal and external loudspeakers, while reducing volume levels for mosques located inside residential neighborhoods or near homes “in a manner consistent with the general situation of the areas.”

The directive further stated that “external loudspeakers are to be turned off during the dawn prayer, with reliance on internal speakers only,” adding that “the holy month of Ramadan is exempted from this instruction.”

Based on astronomical estimates and moon-sighting practices, the month of Ramadan 2026 is expected to begin on the evening of Tuesday, February 17, with the first day of fasting likely on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, subject to official confirmation by religious authorities after sighting the new crescent moon.