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The management of the national mosque would soon start using simultaneous interpretation during Friday Sermons at the National Mosque, Abuja.
This would mean that the Imams would deliver the sermons in only one language while worshippers could use earphones to listen to the sermon in their preferred languages.
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The Secretary General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Is-haq Oloyede, a professor of Islamic Studies, disclosed this on Tuesday. He spoke at the NSCIA headquarters shortly after unveiling the five newly appointed Imams of the national mosque.
Mr Oloyede is also a member of the management board of the mosque headed by Yahaya Abubakar, the Etsu Nupe.
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Current method
The mosque currently delivers the same sermon in different languages, one language after another. But this method takes a lot of time and reduces the time for an effective sermon, Mr Oloyede said.
“…We translate (the sermon) into four languages (English, Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo). We are moving to a level where we will stop doing the translation,” he said. “The whole period for the Khutba (Sermon) would then be longer.”
New method
He explained that the new method would mean that all worshipers would come to the mosque with their headphones to tune into the channel with their preferred language to listen to the sermon.
“This is where we are moving to by God’s grace,” he said.
Mr Oloyede said the management of the mosque would introduce sensitisation before this initiative is deployed. He, however, didn’t say when the initiative would be deployed.
He explained that it is an offence in Islam for people to make noise while the sermon is ongoing. “Not even to tell someone not to talk,” he said.
“So it is that aspect that we want to appeal to you, that before we introduce that, we want you to help us sensitise people that it is almost mandatory to come with an earpiece so that you can use it with your phone. But definitely not making noise for others.”
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